The New England Patriots do not have a quarterback, at least not a proven quarterback. Sure, they technically have Brian Hoyer, Jarrett Stidham, and Cody Kessler on the roster, but it’s likely that neither of those three is going to be able to properly fill the void that Tom Brady has left in Foxborough after opting to sign with the Buccaneers.
It’s already been reported that the Pats have no interest in bringing in Jameis Winston and when it comes to other available quarterbacks like Cam Newton and Andy Dalton there has not been any sort of indication the team is interested in taking a flyer on one of those guys.
With New England’s only move in the quarterback department thus far being the addition of Hoyer, it raises the question of what the hell this team’s plan is going to be for the upcoming season.
Colin Cowherd believes that the Patriots could take a page out of the 2019 Dolphins playbook. While Miami didn’t necessarily tank the season away, they certainly planned for the future by building a culture while also adding draft picks before ultimately finishing 5-11 and entering the NFL Draft with a total of five picks within the first two rounds. This worked out pretty well for the ‘Fins as they now have a very legitimate shot at drafting Tua Tagovailoa with the No. 5 overall pick.
Cowherd spoke about how the Pats not going after a guy like Dalton indicates they may be looking to ‘tank in style’ for a shot at Trevor Lawrence.
Are the Patriots tanking for Trevor Lawrence? @ColinCowherd explains:
"Why aren't they going after Andy Dalton? He's cheap & better than what you've got… I think New England has a plan." pic.twitter.com/LIgq9WdQl0
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) March 23, 2020
While Cowherd is someone known for crazy takes and wild ideas, this particular thought isn’t crazy at all, really.
The Patriots should be good enough, even with Hoyer or Stidham at quarterback, to win a handful of games thanks to their defense and the brilliance of Bill Belichick. This isn’t a team equipped to go 2-14 like the Bengals did a season ago, but they could easily and somewhat sneakily ‘tank’ while still creating a new era and falling in line for at least a shot at drafting the Clemson quarterback.
It’s bizarre to think a team that’s won six Super Bowls since 2001 could go this route, but in the long run, it may be the route that gets them back to their winning ways the quickest.