New England Patriots: 5 Offseason moves to improve in 2021

New England Patriots offseason move No. 1: Acquire a quarterback

The final and perhaps biggest need for the Patriots this offseason in order to improve going into the 2021 NFL season lies at the quarterback position like it did during the offseason a year ago.

Last offseason, New England took a flyer on veteran quarterback Cam Newton to see what he had left in the tank and if he could ultimately be the answer under center for the offense over a few-year span.

Unfortunately, that trial period didn’t work out as the Patriots or Newton had planned, with the quarterback struggling for most of the season resulting in that position having even more question marks now leading into the 2021 campaign.

Over the last few years and especially this year, Bill Belichick has publicly noted the team needs to build its roster around a quarterback and expressed the importance of that position to lead the offensive unit. With that said, you would imagine that position will be at the top of the list of objectives the Patriots will work on shoring up this offseason.

The good news for New England is that it has the fourth-most space in the salary cap, which gives the organization flexibility to address the quarterback spot either via free agency, via trade or via the NFL Draft.

If they dip into free agency, the Patriots could explore the idea of re-signing Newton to bring him back in for a quarterback competition in 2021. Other big-time names that will be available to try and explore could be Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott, Miami Dolphins’ Ryan Fitzpatrick, New Orleans Saints’ Jameis Winston, among other names.

When it comes to the trade market, New England should at least call the Houston Texans to try and see what it would take to acquire the frustrated Deshaun Watson, or could perhaps go outside of the box to try and trade for Philadelphia Eagles veteran Carson Wentz.

The final avenue comes via the NFL Draft, which is packed full of talented quarterbacks this year. New England, which holds pick No. 15 as of now, could look at the likes of BYU’s Zach Wilson, Ohio State’s Justin Fields, Alabama’s Mac Jones or North Dakota State’s Trey Lance, if any of those names do fall to the Patriots.

There are plenty of options available for New England this offseason to shore up the need at quarterback. But in order to improve going into 2021 and beyond, it’s the top thing the Patriots need to focus on.