Miami Dolphins AFC East rival Patriots have a lot of changes coming
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins will still face Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots twice in the AFC East, they just won’t play against Tom Brady.
Tom Brady is no longer in the AFC East but the New England Patriots are still the team to beat until someone does. Continuing our look at the Miami Dolphins division and the changes that have been made, we turn today to our final team, the New England Patriots.
We talked with Patrick Morgan of MusketFire.com to get his take on the division changes and what is in store for the Patriots now that Tom Brady has left!
How do you feel about your team’s off-season thus far?
It’s arguably the worst offseason in the history of the franchise. Just a year after watching a generational player like Rob Gronkowski retire so early from the game, the greatest player in our team history just got shown the door essentially and joined the Bucs. Maybe Bill Belichick plugs some holes on offense in the draft or via trade, but as of now, this team definitely got weaker across the board.
OUR TAKE: I would agree with his sentiment. The Patriots did indeed show Brady the door and there were reports that Brady grew increasingly tired of Belichick’s antics when he tried to trade Brady to the 49’ers instead of Garoppollo.
What free agent do you think will have the biggest impact in 2020?
We don’t have a lot of choices to work with, as the Pats said goodbye to many more players than they said hello to in free agency. From the scrap heap, let’s go with defensive tackle Beau Allen, formerly of the Buccaneers and the Eagles. He’ll hopefully be able to replace the departed Danny Shelton as a run-stuffing nose tackle.
What player lost in free agency will hurt more? (this was a question we asked all of the division teams site experts but we know who hurt the most in New England).
It’s Tom Brady. Maybe Jarrett Stidham will surprise everybody in 2020, and maybe the Patriots take a quarterback in this year’s draft (or next year’s) that’s able to steer the ship in the long-term. But for this upcoming season, there’s no denying that the loss of Brady will hang like a shadow over this team all year long.
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What direction do you think the Patriots will take in the draft? Who are you hoping they draft?
As tempting as it might be to take a quarterback early to replace Brady, this is Belichick we’re talking about. He’s most likely going to take a defensive player that other teams have overlooked at No. 23. From there on out, hopefully, New England will nab a tight end, a wide receiver (or two), a center, and then maybe a QB they like somewhere in the middle rounds.
There have been a lot of changes in the AFC East this off-season, who do you think realistically has the best chance of winning the division?
Our friends at PhinPhanatic, The Jet Press, and BuffaLowDown won’t be happy with this prediction, but until proven otherwise, the AFC East is still the Patriots’ to lose. There’s no longer any sense in denying that the gap between the Pats and their three division rivals has shrunk — particularly after Brady’s departure — but the bulk of a team that went 12-4 last year and started off 8-0 remains intact. If Stidham builds on what was a promising first offseason/preseason last year and is at least serviceable in 2020, New England should be able to hold off Buffalo for the AFC East crown yet again.
Related Story. Read what we had to say about the Dolphins on Musket Fire. light
The loss of Tom Brady stings, who do you see as the team’s QB in 2020 and can the Patriots win with him?
I think Belichick and Josh McDaniels give Stidham a chance to prove that he’s the long-term answer. If he struggles or flops completely, maybe they turn the reins over to Brian Hoyer mid-season. It’s hard to imagine Belichick “tanking” for a QB prospect like Trevor Lawrence or Justin Fields, even if it ends up being in the Patriots’ best interests should Stidham struggle.