Is there room for Matt Patricia on Patriots’ revamped workers?

The New England Patriots are welcoming within the Bill O’Brien period, which suggests they’re ending the Matt Patricia period. 

Not lengthy after Bill Belichick introduced the arrival of O’Brien as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach final week, the Patriots started interviewing offensive line coaches, per a number of reviews. That meant that Patricia, the OL coach and playcaller, and Joe Judge, the QBs coach, would not serve of their roles from 2022. 

They’re on to one thing else. But what precisely?

For Judge, the Patriots intend to maneuver him to a special function away from the offensive facet of the ball, in accordance with a crew supply. In his earlier stint in New England, Judge served as a particular groups coach and coordinator, so he may return to that section of the sport.

For Patricia, it is much less clear. Per a supply, he’s contemplating three choices: 1) go away for a defensive coordinator function with one other crew; 2) return to New England in a special function; or 3) take a break from teaching. 

It’s noteworthy that whereas Judge is in Las Vegas on the Shrine Bowl with Belichick, O’Brien and different Patriots staffers, Patricia just isn’t. That, as a lot as something, is an indicator that the crew would not know if he will likely be part of the O’Brien period. And Patricia does have curiosity if he desires to maintain teaching, with a number of groups inquiring if he’d be considering a defensive coordinator function, per a supply.

There is not an apparent place for Patricia with the Patriots protection. New England’s defensive workers is tightly-knit and extremely environment friendly, with one of many NFL’s high items in 2022. Jerod Mayo appears to be below Belichick’s wing after the crew lately introduced it was in search of a long-term extension with the linebackers coach. Mayo and Steve Belichick appear to function co-coordinators, although neither has the title. And they oversee a workers that features DeMarcus Covington (line of defense), Brian Belichick (safeties), Mike Pellegrino (cornerbacks) and V’Angelo Bentley (NFL teaching fellowship). 

Patricia would doubtless should step into an assistant function except some Patriots staffers left for different jobs this offseason.

In 2021, Patricia served as a senior soccer advisor to Belichick, serving to with nearly all the pieces: in-booth work throughout video games, draft prep, professional day visits, participant contract negotiations, agent outreach, teaching and recreation planning.

Last March, Belichick stated Patricia’s function was “very broad.”

“He does a lot of things,” Belichick stated earlier than transferring Patricia to the offense. “Helps me in a lot of ways.”

Surely, Patricia may return to being Belichick’s right-hand man. But that is not precisely an task that may springboard the coach again right into a distinguished function within the NFL. 

Patricia was the Detroit Lions’ head coach from 2018 to 2020 and produced a 13-29-1 report. He by no means made the postseason. And his repute took a success. This return to New England was purported to rehabilitate Patricia’s picture. But in 2022, the Patriots offense was enormously unimpressive, with the crew posting the seventh-fewest yards per recreation within the NFL. New England had the Seventeenth-most factors per recreation, however that was boosted by a protection that scored an NFL-high seven touchdowns. To make issues worse, the Boston Herald documented the dysfunction behind the scenes, with Patricia clearly out past his depth as an offensive coach.

The 2022 season wasn’t something he may use to raise his candidacy for different roles.

Given that Patricia is a well-connected coach, he may land elsewhere as a defensive place coach or as a defensive coordinator if the appropriate place opens up. But it is a robust spot for Patricia, who was the DC for 2 Super Bowl-winning groups. 

It’s clear that he’s a proficient defensive coach. But since 2017, his last 12 months as New England’s DC, it has been all unhealthy optics for Patricia. And he wants somebody to take a danger on him if he will flip round his NFL profession.

Prior to becoming a member of FOX Sports because the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years overlaying the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @McKennAnalysis.

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