Bill Belichick, New England Patriots. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
The Patriots need a lot of players to step up to make up for the loss of Tom Brady. Bill Belichick really needs these five guys to become stars.
2020 is going to be a massive year of transition for the Patriots. Tom Brady’s decision to leave New England in free agency will bring a new reality to the franchise. Bill Belichick and his coaching staff will need lots of players to step up to cover the loss of arguably the greatest quarterback in NFL history.
The Patriots offense is definitely going to struggle to match last year’s scoring average of 26.3 points per game. The franchise seems to have confidence in Jarrett Stidham’s belief to run the offense, but it’s fair to expect New England to lean heavily on their run game. That’s one big reason why the Patriots elected to keep Joe Thuney despite his hefty price tag at left guard.
Belichick desperately needs his defense to reprise their brilliant production from 2019. Last year New England led the NFL by giving up just 14.1 points per game. In particular, the Patriots will lead on their talented secondary to shut down opposing passing games. Stephon Gilmore is one of the best cornerbacks in football. The same can be said about Devin McCourty at the safety position.
Add it all up and this could be the biggest challenge of Belichick’s coaching career. If he’s going to succeed, the following five players will need to have career seasons in 2020.
5. Isaiah Wynn
Every team needs their left tackle to play well. The Patriots will place even more pressure on Wynn. He’ll be relied upon to keep pressure away from Stidham’s back side on obvious passing downs.
Perhaps more importantly, Wynn also needs to elevate his work for New England’s run game. He needs to match what Marcus Cannon gives the team at right tackle. That’s a big ask of Wynn, but it’s what his offense needs to keep things afloat.