Ranking the Patriots Offensive Position Groups from Strongest to Weakest

Charles Krupa-AP Photo

By: Declan Flavin | Follow me on Twitter / X @FlavinDeclan

With the 2025-2026 NFL season approaching faster than expected, let’s dive into the New England Patriots’ offense, ranking style. The position groups are seeing some long-awaited development come to fruition, with certain units clearly ahead of others. It’s good to see a well-executed draft paired with a stable culture instilled by head coach Mike Vrabel.

These rankings can easily change based on how well the offense executes as a whole. For now, though, this will be based on what the players are trending toward, so let’s get into it.

1) Quarterback

With a talented second-year quarterback, namely Drake Maye, who showed the promise he needed last year, it’s hard not to put the QB position at the top of the list. Although it is worth mentioning how different the QB room operates now in the modern NFL, with former Patriots QB and freak athlete Joe Milton traded to somewhat clarify Maye’s future.

Either way, Maye is set up for success this season with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels alone. One should expect the rest of the preseason to look a little better compared to Maye’s first go of it last Friday. Backup QB Joshua Dobbs has shined in pockets of his NFL career so far, so if anything brutal were to happen to the man in front of him, Dobbs knows how to step up and command an offense.

2) Tight End

The tight end position is the next strongest, with Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper headlining along with 2024 seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell as a pleasant complementary piece. With McDaniels back in the fold, look for Henry to have a solid season overall, being even more reliable in critical situations.

Hooper will be reliable as well, another safe bet for this position, but Bell may have the potential to be a flashier threat. He’s gotten support from his teammates, as Henry has spoken well of Bell’s work ethic and talent, so let’s see if an esteemed coordinator like McDaniels can use him as part of his creative play calls. Although the room is supported by solid, safe, and reliable bets, it would be nice to have a downfield threat TE to complement things.

3) Wide Receiver

The WR position, although bolstered, could use a shake-up sooner than you might think. With Stefon Diggs at age 31 coming off an ACL injury, the primary WR threat will hardly be sustained for long.

Until then, though, McDaniels should be able to make the most out of it and drive success. With DeMario Douglas being the slot guy and rookie receivers Kyle Williams and Efton Chism bringing needed separation skills, the support behind Diggs should make for a solid foundation for the group. However, this core is one injury away from the dominoes falling, and that’s where not having a younger and dynamic primary threat will come back to hurt the group and the team.

4) Offensive Line

The offensive line is the weakest position grouping on the offensive side, and this is largely due to just how inconsistent things can be with them. Rookie Will Campbell should help stabilize the depth, but there will always be bumps for rookies such as him and Jared Wilson.

Mike Onwenu is on track to be the only real dependable in terms of track record, so it’s not hard to see how this position will be under the microscope week to week, regardless of performance. It’s always nice to have a former head coach directing the line, though, with Doug Marrone being on the staff.

Again, these positions have been developing recently, but there are still dynamics that we have to keep an eye on. It would be ideal if the strongest position with Drake Maye can set the tone for the weaker positions.

As we all know, the QB is what can make or break the offensive unit, regardless of the surrounding pieces they have. With still some leftover weaknesses from last season, Maye is acclimated and supported enough to both overcome those and lead the offense to a big step forward.

Response

  1. I know these are the rankings now, but I see a ton of potential for change throughout the season. My predictions for the end of season rankings:

    #1 QB

    #2 Oline

    #3 WR

    #4 TE

    And I think HH is gonna have a good season…

    Like

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