NFL rumors: Latest update on Patriots’ coaching staff, Bill O’Brien originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The New England Patriots coaching staff has seen plenty of turnover in recent years, and 2022 has been no different in that regard.
Longtime offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels left Foxboro to take over as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. Patriots director of player personnel Dave Ziegler went with McDaniels to become Raiders general manager.
The Patriots, at least to this point, have not officially named a new offensive coordinator to step in for McDaniels. It’s possible they might not name an OC at all, instead choosing to have the offense coached by a few guys, including Joe Judge. Judge recently returned to the Patriots as an offensive assistant following a two-year stint as head coach of the New York Giants.
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What’s the latest on the Patriots’ coaching staff, particularly on offense? Here’s what Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer wrote in a story published Monday morning:
“As it stands now, Judge is expected to work with the quarterbacks, and Patricia with the line, and each will do so without much experience having coached offense before they became head coaches over the last few years (Judge came up working with the special teams, Patricia on defense). Which, obviously, is a dice roll given the critical point that Mac Jones is at. (For what it’s worth, I’ve heard the Patriots haven’t so much as talked to Adam Gase about their OC opening, and things have been quiet on the Bill O’Brien front as well.)”
Gase and O’Brien have been speculated as two potential candidates for the offensive coordinator job in New England. O’Brien has a history working with the Patriots and served as the team’s OC in 2011 before leaving to become the head coach at Penn State. Gase has more than a decade of experience as an offensive coach or head coach in the NFL.
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It would behoove the Patriots to have a real offensive coordinator in place. The development of 2021 first-round pick and franchise quarterback Mac Jones is the most important factor in the team’s future success.
If Judge does end up working with the quarterbacks, it will be his first time doing so in the NFL (aside from his head coach position with the Giants). His previous jobs in New England included special teams assistant, special teams coordinator and wide receivers coach. Put simply, he doesn’t have a ton of experience working with the offense or quarterbacks, specifically.
Going without an offensive coordinator wouldn’t be unusual for the Patriots, though. They also don’t have an official defensive coordinator. The issue is whether this approach will benefit Jones and help him realize his full potential. Right now, it’s hard to make the case that it would. Going from McDaniels to Judge is a step down.