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

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

Not lengthy after Invoice 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 studies. That meant that Patricia, the OL coach and playcaller, and Joe Choose, the QBs coach, would now not serve of their roles from 2022. 

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

For Choose, the Patriots intend to maneuver him to a unique position away from the offensive facet of the ball, in line with a group supply. In his earlier stint in New England, Choose 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) depart for a defensive coordinator position with one other group; 2) return to New England in a unique position; or 3) take a break from teaching. 

It is noteworthy that whereas Choose is in Las Vegas on the Shrine Bowl with Belichick, O’Brien and different Patriots staffers, Patricia will not be. That, as a lot as something, is an indicator that the group would not know if he will probably 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 focused on a defensive coordinator position, per a supply.

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

Patricia would seemingly must step into an assistant position until some Patriots staffers left for different jobs this offseason.

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

Final March, Belichick mentioned Patricia’s position was “very broad.”

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

Certainly, Patricia may return to being Belichick’s right-hand man. However that is not precisely an task that can springboard the coach again right into a outstanding position 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 speculated to rehabilitate Patricia’s picture. However in 2022, the Patriots offense was enormously unimpressive, with the group 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.

Provided that Patricia is a well-connected coach, he may land elsewhere as a defensive place coach or as a defensive coordinator if the proper place opens up. Nevertheless it’s a troublesome spot for Patricia, who was the DC for 2 Tremendous Bowl-winning groups. 

It is clear that he’s a gifted defensive coach. However since 2017, his ultimate yr 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’ll flip round his NFL profession.

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

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