There’s no denying the fact that the New England Patriots were one of the strongest teams in the past. Tom Brady provided the franchise with the most glorious seasons. And that’s because the team has won 6 Super Bowls in the NFL. And all of them were guided by star quarterback Tom Brady.
But ever since then, the franchise has been struggling to perform well in the league. And it’s worth noting that the Patriots have entered only one playoff since Brady left. And the franchise must be aiming to change this in the coming season and end their sufferings. Though head coach Bill Belichick has given his best, it’s not been enough for the franchise.
Talking about the previous season, the Patriots finished at 8-9. And this further put them on no. 03 in the AFC East. Moreover, the team was out of the playoffs as well. And in the past 3 years, the franchise has missed the postseason twice. But the team must be looking forward to bouncing back stronger this year.
Trade Rumors About The New England Patriots
Every year before the NFL draft event, rumors of players expected to be drafted and trading starts doing the round. And similarly, before the 2023 NFL draft, there were rumors of the Patriots trading 2 players. And those players included:
Kendrick Bourne : The 2023 season will be the last year of the 3-year contract of the wide receiver with the Patriots. And Bourne secured 5 touchdowns for the team and 55 passes for 800 yards during the first year. But after that, he hasn’t impressed everyone with his performance. So there were rumors of the team trading him, but it didn’t happen.
DeVante Parker: DeVante was traded from the Miami Dolphins to the Patriots last season. And the wide receiver had signed a contract for two years. But Parker didn’t show anything extraordinary last year with just 3 touchdowns and 31 passes for 539 yards. And that’s why there were chances for the Patriots to trade him but that didn’t happen either.
Full Roster Of The New England Patriots For This Year
For the 2023 season, the Patriots have quite an interesting roster which might help the team have a good season. So let’s have a look at the full roster of the franchise. (Via ESPN)
The quarterbacks that the Patriots have this season include:
- Mac Jones
- Trace McSorley
- Bailey Zappe
- Malik Cunningham
The running backs of the team include:
- Kevin Harris
- Rhamondre Stevenson
- Pierre Strong Jr.
- J.J. Taylor
Now, the New England Patriots wide receivers include:
- Kendrick Bourne
- Kayshon Boutte
- Demario Douglas
- Ed Lee
- Ty Montgomery
- Tre Nixon
- DeVante Parker
- Matthew Slater
- JuJu Smith-Schuster
- Tyquan Thornton
- Scotty Washington
- Raleigh Webb
Then comes the tight ends for the Patriots:
- Anthony Firkser
- Mike Gesicki
- Hunter Henry
- Johnny Lumpkin
- Matt Sokol
The offensive tackles for the team include these players:
- Andrew Stueber
- Calvin Anderson
- Riley Reiff
- Conor McDermott
- Trent Brown
Then, the interior offensive lines of the franchise include:
- Atonio Mafi
- Bill Murray
- Chasen Hines
- Cole Strange
- Michael Onwenu
- Jake Andrews
- James Ferentz
- Kody Russey
- Sidy Sow
- David Andrews
And the interior defensive lines in the team are:
- Lawrence Guy Sr.
- Daniel Ekuale
- Sam Roberts
- Justus Tavai
- Davon Godchaux
- Deatrich Wise Jr.
- Christian Barmore
- Carl Davis Jr.
- Jeremiah Pharms Jr.
The defensive edge in the Patriots includes:
- Ronnie Perkins
- Anfernee Jennings
- Josh Uche
- Matthew Judon
- Keion White
- DaMarcus Mitchell
Then the off-the-ball linebackers for the New England Patriots include:
- Olakunle Fatukasi
- Jourdan Heilig
- Ja’Whaun Bentley
- Jahlani Tavai
- Chris Board
- Calvin Munson
- Terez Hall
- Marte Maphu
- Mack Wilson Sr.
- Raekwon McMillan
The cornerbacks for the team include:
- Ameer Speed
- Shaun Wade
- Myles Bryant
- Marcus Jones
- Jonathan Jones
- Jack Jones
- Christian Gonzalez
- Isaiah Bolden
- Tae Hayes
- Jalen Mills
- Quandre Mosely
- Rodney Randle Jr.
Then the safety of the New England Patriots includes:
- Adrian Phillips
- Joshuah Bledsoe
- Jabrill Peppers
- Devin McCourty
- Brad Hawkins
- Cody Davis
- Brenden Schooler
- Kyle Digger
And lastly, the specialists in the team include:
- Nick Folk
- Corliss Waitman
- Tucker Addington
- Joe Cardona
- Chad Ryland
- Bryce Baringer
The full Schedule of the New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are at no. 03 in terms of the most difficult schedules this season. And here’s a list of the full schedule of the team for 2023.
Opposition | Date | Time (EST) |
Houston Texans | Aug 10, 2023 | 7:00 pm |
Green Bay Packers | Aug 19, 2023 | 8:00 pm |
Tennessee Titans | Aug 25, 2023 | 8:15 pm |
Philadelphia Eagles | Sep 10, 2023 | 4:25 pm |
Miami Dolphins | Sep 17, 2023 | 8:20 pm |
New York Jets | Sep 24, 2023 | 1:00 pm |
Dallas Cowboys | Oct 01, 2023 | 4:25 pm |
New Orleans Saints | Oct 08, 2023 | 1:00 pm |
Las Vegas Raiders | Oct 15, 2023 | 4:05 pm |
Buffalo Bills | Oct 22, 2023 | 1:00 pm |
Miami Dolphins | Oct 29, 2023 | 1:00 pm |
Washington Commanders | Nov 05, 2023 | 1:00 pm |
Indianapolis Colts | Nov 12, 2023 | 9:30 am |
New York Giants | Nov 26, 2023 | 1:00 pm |
Los Angeles Chargers | Dec 03, 2023 | 1:00 pm |
Pittsburgh Steelers | Dec 07, 2023 | 8:15 pm |
Kansas City Chiefs | Dec 18, 2023 | 8:15 pm |
Denver Broncos | Dec 24, 2023 | 8:15 pm |
Buffalo Bills | Dec 31, 2023 | 1:00 pm |
New York Jets | 07 Jan, 2023 | TBD |
Players to look forward to in the Patriots this Season
Though it has to be a team effort the New England Patriots want to perform well in the NFL this year. But there are a few players who everyone will be looking forward to watching. And one of them is wide receiver Tyquan Thornton. And as fans have constantly been criticizing the Patriots for their wide receivers, Thornton must be under pressure.
Other than him, another player to look forward to is Pierre Strong. The running back has contributed to the team with 17 touches. And he has also helped the special teams. So it won’t be wrong to say that Strong has a huge potential. But he still has a lot to prove while playing for the Patriots.
Then there is running back Kevin Harris on whom everyone’s eyes will be. The New England Patriots drafted him in the 2022 NFL draft. And he was selected in the sixth round of the draft. But he only secured 13 carries in 14 weeks in the previous season. But Harris is a strong runner and can effectively finish the runs and lead the team to success.
So during the whole season, these three players will be worth watching. And it’ll be interesting to see how they turn out to be for the New England Patriots.
A look at the players New England Patriots have drafted this Season
During the 2023 NFL draft event, the New England Patriots drafted a total of 12 players. And the franchise must be expecting those players to guide the team to new heights this season. So let us have a look at the players the Patriots have selected this season.
First of all, they drafted CB Christian Gonzalez in the first round. And he was the 17th overall pick. Then in the second round, the Patriots drafted Keion White. And he was the 46th pick in the draft. After him, there comes LB and S Marte Mapu. And the team drafted him in the third round.
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After that, in the fourth round, the Patriots picked Jake Andrews, Chad Ryland, and Sidy Sow. And they were the 107th, 112th, and 117th pick respectively. Then in the fifth round, Atonio Mafi was their 144th overall pick.
And in the sixth round, the New England Patriots drafted Kayshon Boutte, Bryce Baringer, Demario Douglas, and Ameer Speed. They were the 187th, 192nd, 210th, and 214th pick respectively. And at last, the franchise drafted Isaiah Bolden in the 7th round as their 245th overall pick.
So with all this done, now it’s for the players to give their best in the league. And it’ll be interesting to see what the future beholds for the New England Patriots in 2023. And fans are waiting for the team to perform like it used to during the Brady era.