Miami Dolphins: AFC East Predictions before the draft

3. New England Patriots

The former Evil Empire didn’t do much to help their roster in free agency. The re-signed Trenton Brown and Ja’whaun Bentley to bring back to their playoff team from a year ago, but only added depth pieces on the open market. In fact, far and away the biggest acquisition for New England was DeVante Parker.

But is the former long-time Miami Dolphins receiver going to make enough of a difference? Unless Bill Belichick has the biggest ace up his sleeve that he’s ever hidden, the Patriots will likely struggle to keep up with the rest of the AFC. There is still plenty of time to make moves and rosters are obviously still subject to change, but as of now, New England’s depth chart just doesn’t stack up with the rest of the conference. Or the division, for that matter.

There is a lot riding on the second year performance of quarterback Mac Jones. A failure would likely result in a poor record for the Patriots, something that is likely if you ask fans of any division foes. Don’t be surprised at the end of the season if New England is closer to the Jets in the standings than the Dolphins or Bills.

But also don’t be surprised at anything Bill Belichick does.