NFL 2018 power rankings countdown No. 6: New England Patriots

A preview of the New England Patriots ahead of the 2018 season.

Check back every day for a new 2018 team preview in this year’s NFL power rankings countdown.

Today’s team is the New England Patriots.

6. New England Patriots

Keegan’s highest rated player: Rob Gronkowski, tight end

Biggest strength: Tom Brady

Biggest weakness: Pass rush

Best offseason move: Trading for Danny Shelton

Worst offseason move: Not finding a quarterback for the future

Game to circle on calendar: Week 9, vs. Green Bay

Breakout candidate: Cordarrelle Patterson, wide receiver

Key players in contract years: Mike Gillislee, Jeremy Hill, Chris Hogan, Cordarrelle Patterson, Eric Decker, Kenny Britt, Phillip Dorsett, Shaq Mason, Trent Brown, Malcom Brown, Trey Flowers, Danny Shelton, Jason McCourty, Eric Rowe, Stephen Gostkowski, and Ryan Allen

Offensive preview

Tom Brady is still one of the top quarterbacks in football at age 41, and it’s hard to argue that he isn’t the greatest quarterback (if not football player) ever at this point. The Patriots still made a mistake not finding a quarterback for the future this offseason, that way they could have had that quarterback in their system for a year or two before he is thrown into the fire.

The Patriots have a deep backfield despite the loss of Dion Lewis. The Jeremy Hill signing is one of the most underrated moves of the offseason, and he should be a reliable player for this team. Sony Michel will be a dynamic rookie for New England as well. This backfield is good, but there is no clear starter at this position (which is typical in New England).

Losing Brandin Cooks will have an impact on this receiving corps, which is now without a dynamic true number one threat. The Patriots’ best receiver is Julian Edelman, and they have more bad news on the receiver threat with his suspension.

Despite being weak at the top of their receiving corps, the Patriots have depth at the rest of that position. Cordarrelle Patterson is a dynamic and speedy receiver. The Eric Decker signing was a smart move. Kenny Britt is a talented veteran receiver. Philip Dorsett still has loads of potential. The Patriots have one of the deepest receiving corps in football, if you look past the starters.

Rob Gronkowski is the best tight end in history, but I would be concerned about his injury history as well as the trade rumors if I was a Patriots fan. Fortunately, Dwayne Allen will be a reliable fill-in option if Gronkowski’s injury problems linger.

Nate Solder‘s departure in free agency will have a lasting impact on this offensive line. It’s rare you have a left tackle as talented as Solder, and it’s even more rare that a franchise lets a talent like that depart in free agency.

The offensive line, after the left tackle position, has a lot of veteran talent, but not being secure at left tackle can cause problems for even the best line.

Defensive preview

This is a defense that will certainly benefit from having Dont’a Hightower back, but this isn’t even the biggest thing to be excited about… the trade for Danny Shelton is. Shelton is a rare defensive talent that Bill Belichick will be able to get the most out of in Foxborough.

The rest of the defensive line has a lot of veteran talent that has experience with this team. This line won’t be overly dominant, but if anyone can maximize its potential, it’s Belichick.

Having Hightower back will do wonders for this linebacking corps. They are otherwise experienced, but lacking in talent at the position.

Losing Malcolm Butler (much like the loss of Nate Solder on the offensive line) will have a huge impact on the Patriots’ secondary. Fortunately, they still have a dominant number one cornerback with Stephon Gilmore. Trading for Jason McCourty was a smart move as well. This is an experienced cornerback corps, but it may struggle shutting down top receivers.

Together, McCourty and Patrick Chung are one of football’s most reliable and experienced safety tandems.

Coaching staff/front office preview

Bill Belichick is the best coach of all time. The biggest question mark in the near future will be if he can succeed once Tom Brady retires?

There is a chance both of these future Hall-of-Famers retire together, but Belichick is a competitive man and it feels more than likely he will stick around after Brady retires to prove that he can when without “Tommy”.

Belichick is also one of the smartest front office talents in football. The Patriots almost always prove doubters wrong when they make decisions. Despite Belichick’s genius, Nick Caserio deserves a ton of the credit for the Patriots’ success over the years. It’s shocking that Caserio isn’t a general manager somewhere by now.

Overall outlook for 2018

The Patriots have a realistic shot at getting another ring this season, but the loss of many key talents could come back to haunt them. This is the weakest Patriots team there has been headed into a season for a long time.