Offseason winners and losers: Patriots ‘didn’t do enough and could struggle’ in 2022

The New England Patriots’ 2022 offseason was marked by prominent departures both on the roster and the coaching staff, and few prominent additions to address them. As a result, the team was recently named among the losers of this year’s offseason by Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.

New England was named in the “Which team didn’t do enough this offseason and could struggle this season?” category:

You might be surprised to hear that — but I look at the attrition in the coaching staff (especially losing OC Josh McDaniels to Las Vegas to coach the Raiders), and an offensive group around Mac Jones that still seems to need a quarterback to elevate it (like Tom Brady could), rather than manage it (like Mac Jones can), and I feel like I’m waiting for Bill Belichick to pull another rabbit out of his hat. Toss in a completely remade linebacker group, and an issue at corner, and I have a lot of questions.

That pessimism surrounding the Patriots is shared by the oddsmakers. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the team has just the third best odds to win the AFC East at the moment (+500) behind the Buffalo Bills (-225) and Miami Dolphins (+450).