Dante Scarnecchia: Patriots ‘gotta get a better supporting cast’ for Mac Jones

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones developed a rapport with his pass-catchers and found himself relying upon specific players in gotta-have-it situations.

Receiver Jakobi Meyers, for example, was Jones’ favorite target on the season, and appeared to be the quarterback’s safety net on third down. Tight end Hunter Henry started the season as Jones’ favorite option in the red area, though that connection slowed down as defenses paid more attention to Henry near the end zone.

As the Patriots enter the 2022 offseason, retired Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia suggested the team needs to do more for their young quarterback.

“They gotta get a better supporting cast around (Mac),” Scarnecchia told the Boston Herald in a recent interview. “They don’t want to hear that, but that’s the truth. Other than Jakobi Meyers, who do they got?”

Well, we mentioned Henry. And receiver Kendrick Bourne is another player that has been a boon to the offense. He finished the year with 55 catches for 800 yards and five touchdowns. He also logged a pair of touchdowns in the team’s 47-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the postseason. Bourne is one player who appears to have the potential to take a bigger role in 2022.

The Patriots also added tight end Jonnu Smith (28 catches, 294 yards, 1 TD) and receiver Nelson Agholor (37 catches, 473 yards, three TDs) in 2021 during free agency, but neither player has stepped up in a big way for the team. They might be better in their second year — they just need to do a better job of earning their touches in 2022.

“We’ve always had that guy, a guy who moved the chains,” Scarrnechia told the Herald. “Whether it was Wes Welker, Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola when all else failed, he was that guy. But they don’t have that guy right now.”

With $20 million in salary cap money and the 21st overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, New England will have to evaluate carefully: should they add another pass-catcher or do they need to rebuild their defense, which allowed 47 points to the Bills in the wild-card round?

List

Full list of the Patriots' 20 pending free agents for 2022