Patriots Breakout Candidate Has ‘Nice Chemistry’ With QB Mac Jones

Mac Jones struggled in his second year with the New England Patriots, but it seems like he has developed great chemistry with his teammates. Jones excelled in his debut with the Patriots. NFL analysts have a few good reasons to believe that the Alabama quarterback will try to get the best of his time with the Patriots in 2023.

Chad Graff from The Athletic discussed Jones’ current position, suggesting that he and Mike Gesicki could be lethal for opponents. According to Graff, Gesicki and Jones connected really well “during the spring drills.”

The Patriots had a great plan for Gesicki. They got the former Miami Dolphins tight end as a replacement for Jonnu Smith. The latter didn’t really work well with the Patriots and Bill Belichick has high expectations from Gesicki. Hunter Henry is a good player, but Gesicki could add a different spice to the game. He could fit in any passing game led by Jones.

In 2021, Gesicki had 73 receptions for 780 yards. Field Yates from ESPN reminded everyone that Gesicki covered the entire field in his banner campaign. He had a slightly weaker game in 2022, but did play in all regular-season games. Miami head coach Mike McDaniel claims he was responsible for the failure “to some degree” because he didn’t give Gesicki a greater freedom in the offensive side of the game. The tight end played 146 snaps in the slot and players targeted him on deep routes in seven occasions.

Mike Gesicki is one of the most linear players in the NFL

Explosive straight line. Explosive jumps. Vertical. Turns like a boat. Awful after the catch. And definitely not a TE

Has more wide snaps than inline (358 vs 166) over last 2 yrs, and obv way more slot than anything else pic.twitter.com/5qXenBIIfX

— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) March 17, 2023

According to Josh Norris from Underdog Fantasy, Gesicki works best on “wide snaps.” Belichick had similar plans for Smith, but he had just 55 grabs in two seasons with the team.

The Patriots will need more than the chemistry between Jones and Gesicki

Is Gesicki enough to address all problems at tight end? Doug Kyed from AtoZ Sports says the Patriots need a “true blocking inline tight end.”

My initial takeaway on the Mike Gesicki signing is that the Patriots still don't have a true blocking inline tight end. Gesicki is best utilized outside or in the slot. Hunter Henry was taken off the field for Lil'Jordan Humphrey early in the season on run plays.

— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) March 17, 2023

The Patriots lost Lil’Jordan Humphrey, meaning Henry will have to elevate his blocking game. Veteran Anthony Firkser may add a much needed boost to the game. There’s a catch though. Belichick may use him at fullback.