The New England Patriots have an entirely new coaching staff for the first time in 20-plus years.
They have a new head coach in Jerod Mayo, a new offensive coordinator in Alex Van Pelt and a new defensive coordinator in DeMarcus Covington. Mayo and Covington are not new to the staff, but they are new in their current roles entering the 2024 NFL season.
ESPN's Ben Solak ranked all 32 coaching staffs around the league this week, and the Patriots came in at No. 30. Solak likes what Mayo and Covington will bring to the table. The Patriots had a good defense last season, and most experts expect a similar or better output from that group in 2024.
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The offense? It remains to be seen.
"I'm betting on Mayo," Solak writes in his analysis. "I don't think it's an accident the Patriots kept him in the building as Belichick's presumed successor -- they likely know they have a great defensive mind who provides a fresh breath of personality at the helm.
"What concerns me is his capacity to hire: Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt has been an NFL coach since 2006. The Patriots are the sixth team he has worked for, and this will be his third crack at offensive coordinator. He is as establishment as it gets.
"That isn't necessarily bad, of course -- Van Pelt has a quarterback-friendly offense, which serves both Jacoby Brissett (who played for Van Pelt in Cleveland) and rookie QB Drake Maye -- but it isn't good, either. New offensive coordinators such as Ryan Grubb, Brad Idzik or Klint Kubiak are much more likely than Van Pelt to bring inventive ideas to the table."
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There's a lot riding on Van Pelt's shoulders this season.
The franchise made a massive investment in Drake Maye by selecting him with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The team's success over the next two to five years likely will be centered around whether Maye develops into a franchise cornerstone-level quarterback.
Not only is developing Maye super important, determining when the best possible time to start him is also critical. Throwing him into the fire too early could hinder his development and negatively impact his confidence.
No one expects the Patriots to make the playoffs this season. The 2024 campaign will be judged largely on the improvement the offense makes and whether Maye is developing at a positive rate. If both of those objectives are accomplished, we should see the Patriots coaching staff rise several spots on next year's ranking.