The New England Patriots offense made some strides with prized rookie quarterback Drake Maye under center in 2024, but there's plenty of room for improvement heading into 2025.
Now that the Patriots have their franchise QB, it's time to surround him with talent. The front office will be tasked with doing so via free agency and the NFL Draft -- during which New England could have the No. 1 overall pick -- next spring.
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On the latest episode of Tom E. Curran's Patriots Talk Podcast, former Pats QB Brian Hoyer laid out his three-step plan to putting a competent offense on the field next season.
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1. Improve the offensive line
"That's obviously one of the biggest struggles. That's number one. Because look, no good play starts without the offensive line doing their job. And a lot of times they're unheralded. You lose a guy like David Andrews early in the year, who's going to basically make all the calls. That's a devastating loss. And then you're dealing with young players and Mike Onwenu is playing all over the place. There's a constant rotation.
"You need to solidify (the offensive line) first and foremost, because nothing goes without those guys. So, address it in free agency and address it in the draft.
"My goal would be, sign a left tackle, sign a guard, and then you still draft a tackle.
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2. Sign a No. 1 wideout
"I think there's only one true number one in free agency. That's Tee Higgins. Can you afford him? Are you going to be able to entice him to come here? If not, there's guys like Chris Godwin. DeAndre Hopkins.
"I think you need someone like that. An established guy who can walk into that room and kind of be an alpha dog. And that still allows you for a chance to draft one as well."
3. Continue to develop Drake Maye
"Continue to develop Drake with his fundamentals, his understanding of the game. That's a huge thing in the offseason.
"He's made leaps and bounds, but there's a whole offseason for him to work on having a better base, not getting too much depth in the pocket, standing up, stepping up in the pocket, which if you solidify that offensive line, he'll have more confidence in doing that."
Also in the episode:
- Three areas of improvement for Drake Maye
- Cons of replacing Alex Van Pelt
- How do the Patriots attract free agents?
