New England Patriots: 3 Players who need to step up in 2020

With the 2020 NFL season inching closer, here are three New England Patriots that are going to have to step up throughout the course of the year.

During the 2020 NFL season, the New England Patriots will no doubt look much different than what we have been used to seeing out of one of the most successful franchises in the league over the past two decades.

After a busy offseason that saw multiple key players depart the organization via free agency and other avenues, most notably legendary quarterback Tom Brady leaving to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency, new faces will flood both sides of the field for the Patriots this season.

New England is coming off of a 12-4 season in 2019, finishing atop the AFC East once again at the end of the year. The Patriots ultimately fell in the opening round of the AFC Playoffs, seeing their season coming to a surprising early end.

It will be interesting to see if Bill Belichick and company in Foxborough end up taking a step back this season and go through somewhat of an unfamiliar rebuilding year or if the new players taking over will be able to pick things up without missing a beat.

With multiple key players on both offense and defense leaving New England this offseason, that resulted in the Patriots bringing in some additional young prospects both in the 2020 NFL Draft and during the undrafted free agency process that now have the task of stepping into contributing roles right out of the gate.

While New England holds the toughest regular-season schedule of any team in the NFL this season, that task of stepping up will be a tough one for many players on the depth chart.

With the 2020 campaign continuing to approach, let’s take a look at three players that will have to step up for the Patriots this season and beyond in what will be an interesting year in Foxborough.