#jonnu-smith

#jonnu-smith

The New England Patriots have made quite a few moves in free agency thus far and should continue to add.Let's grade some of the signings made thus far.Well, even though the start was slow, Bill Belichick has pieced together a solid free agency period thus far, and there are still some moves to be made.

Frigid temperatures awaited the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.So did the defending AFC champions.Bill Belichick's roster fell to Zac Taylor's Cincinnati Bengals there by a score of 22-18 on Saturday afternoon, falling to 7-8 on the regular season and further out of the playoff picture.Here's an initial glance into what took place from one half to another on Christmas Eve.

The New England Patriots lost and absolute heartbreaker to the Las Vegas Raiders, falling 30-24 on the final play of the game.The Patriots fall are now 7-7 after the loss and their playoff hopes have taken a massive hit.Let's take a look at the snap count breakdown from the game to see how New England used its talent in the loss.

The New England Patriots lost another heartbreaker to the Cincinnati Bengals, falling 22-18 on a late-game fumble.They are now 7-8 after the loss, and their playoff hopes are very much dependent on an ability to win their final two games of the season.Before looking ahead, however, let's turn around and take a look at that Week 16 game to find out how New England used its players.

The New England Patriots defeated the Arizona Cardinals by a score of 27-13 on Monday Night Football.The Patriots advance to 7-6 while the Cardinals fall to 4-9.Let's take a look at the snap count breakdown from the game to see how New England used its talent in the primetime matchup.Offense
Total snaps: 59
QB Mac Jones* (59; 100%), LT Trent Brown* (59; 100%), LG Cole Strange* (59; 100%), C David Andrews* (59; 100%), RG Michael Onwenu* (59; 100%), RT Conor McDermott* (59; 100%), WR Nelson Agholor* (57; 97%), WR Tyquan Thornton* (52; 88%), WR Kendrick Bourne (42; 71%), TE Hunter Henry (39; 66%), RB Kevin Harris (29; 49%), TE Jonnu Smith* (28; 47%), RB Pierre Strong Jr. (19; 32%), RB Rhamondre Stevenson* (13; 22%), CB/WR Marcus Jones (8; 14%), WR DeVante Parker* (6; 10%), WR Matthew Slater (2; 3%)

*denotes starter Mac Jones and the entire offensive line went wire-to-wire once again this week.

The New England Patriots fell to the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night by a score of 33-26.The Patriots are now 6-5 while the Vikings improve to 9-2 on the season.Let's take a look at the snap count breakdown from the game to see how New England used its talent in the primetime matchup.Offense
Total snaps: 55
QB Mac Jones* (55; 100%), LT Trent Brown* (55; 100%), LG Cole Strange* (55; 100%), C James Ferentz* (55; 100%), RG Michael Onwenu* (55; 100%), RT Yodny Cajuste* (55; 100%), WR DeVante Parker* (47; 85%), RB Rhamondre Stevenson (45; 82%), WR Nelson Agholor (43; 78%), TE Hunter Henry* (39; 71%), WR Kendrick Bourne (38; 69%), WR Tyquan Thornton* (20; 36%), TE Jonnu Smith (16; 29%), WR Jakobi Meyers* (16; 29%), RB Damien Harris* (11; 20%)

*denotes starter Mac Jones and the entire starting offensive line played all 55 snaps.

Patriots He could give the Patriots something they've been missing.The Patriots fortified their tight end room by reportedly signing 6-foot-6, 247-pound red-zone threat Mike Gesicki to a one-year deal worth up to $9 million.Gesicki, who has spent his entire five-year career with the Miami Dolphins, joins Hunter Henry and effectively replaces recently departed Jonnu Smith.

The New England Patriots have made another high-profile addition to their offense.Mike Gesicki, who was arguably the best tight end available on the market, is joining the organization on a reported one-year contract worth up to $9 million.ESPN's Adam Schefter was first to report the move.Gesicki, 27, entered the NFL as a second-round draft pick by the Miami Dolphins in 2018.

The New England Patriots like to zag when everybody expects them to zig, but they did not do so in their offensive coordinator search.Alabama assistant coach Bill O'Brien was considered the favorite to earn the job even before the interviewing process officially began, and he has now indeed been hired by the club to take over the vacant position.

Tight end Jonnu Smith and cornerback Marcus Jones both were back at practice Thursday in Foxborough after missing the past week while in the NFL's concussion protocol.Their return was preceded by wide receiver DeVante Parker, who had been sidelined for three weeks before being listed as limited.But the New England Patriots' preparations for playing the Buffalo Bills in Week 18 continued elsewhere.

The final practice of the regular season included a full 53-man roster for the New England Patriots.Five have since been listed as questionable to face the Buffalo Bills, including wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, tight end Jonnu Smith, cornerbacks Jonathan Jones and Jalen Mills, as well as core special-teamer Brenden Schooler.

Patriots Gesicki has played for the Dolphins since being drafted in 2018.After trading a tight end at the start of the week, the Patriots appear to have addressed the position with a free agent pickup.New England has agreed to terms with tight end Mike Gesicki on a one-year contract, according to multiple reports.

The free agency period hasn't started off well for the Patriots as they've already lost No. 1 receiver Jakobi Meyers, but they have brought back several key pieces.Matthew Slater, Conor McDermott, James Ferentz, Raekwon McMillan, Carl Davis and Jonathan Joseph have all re-signed with the team, giving New England a solid foundation to build upon this offseason.

Although free agency in the NFL doesn't officially start until Wednesday, the legal tampering period began at noon on Monday.The day was filled with breaking news about players around the league receiving massive contracts, but in typical fashion, the Patriots were not one of them.We did see the trade of Jonnu Smith to the Falcons to start the day, and shortly after that, the news about Jonathan Jones signing a two-year contract to remain in New England was released.

The NFL opened its so-called legal tampering window on Monday, and in the subsequent hours some big moves were made throughout the league.One team taking a rather passive approach were the New England Patriots.The team made three transactions: trading tight end Jonnu Smith to the Atlanta Falcons and re-signing both cornerback Jonathan Jones and defensive tackle Carl Davis.

The New England Patriots did not wait for the NFL legal tampering period to start before making a bang.The team is reportedly trading tight end Jonnu Smith to the Atlanta Falcons in return for a seventh-round draft selection.Thus ends what was a disappointing two-year tenure for Smith in New England.

The New England Patriots unfortunately have some players who are not living up to their contracts and may not finish them with the team.This is the price of doing business in the NFL.Taking risks in free agency can lead to teams dumping players before their contracts expire with the team.Two offseasons ago, New England invested heavily in their team and went crazy in free agency.

As the 2023 NFL draft nears, determining the best route for the Patriots in the first round is beginning to cause debate among fans.While most hope for a great offensive tackle or even a cornerback, many want to see Bill Belichick make selections differently than he has by picking the best available player when they're on the clock.

The New England Patriots should look to improve their quality of pass catchers in 2023, and a Miami Dolphins' free agent player makes a ton of sense.Two offseasons ago, the team invested heavily in free agency.This was the offseason after Tom Brady left, so perhaps Bill Belichick had a strong motive to keep the team as competitive as possible.

In light of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin remaining in critical condition following his in-game collapse on Monday, the New England Patriots ' schedule has been altered yet again.As the team announced on Wednesday morning, media availability has been canceled for a second straight day.Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was originally set to hold a press conference at noon to talk about his club's upcoming matchup versus the Bills.

The New England Patriots last met with the Las Vegas Raiders on Sept. 27, 2020.New England took care of business with a 36-20 win in Gillette Stadium.Since that contest, both rosters have seen some serious turnover.Let's take a look at what is the same and what is new.Patriots Changes
The following 20 players were on New England's 53-man roster in 2020 who are still on the active roster in 2022.

Through 12 games, it's quite evident that the experiment of having Matt Patricia calling plays for the Patriots offense isn't working out.A team that went to the playoffs a year ago brought back their second-year Pro Bowl quarterback, they brought back their running backs, they brought back their receivers and even added DeVante Parker and Tyquan Thornton.

TEAM TALK LOCAL LINKS

Mike Reiss shares some quick-hit weekend thoughts: Former players speak about what 'passionate' assistant coach Adrian Klemm brings to Patriots; O'Brien-Klemm duo; Judon on Mac; More.Steve Balestrieri (PatsFans) Sunday Patriots News: Thoughts on Brady podcast, Mac Jones, Super Bowl; More.

If the New England Patriots plan on going all-in for the 2023 season, they could try and pull off some super wacky trades to improve the team.At this point, I would not be surprised by any decision that Bill Belichick makes.He's got the reigns of this team and is likely not coaching for much longer.

The New England Patriots have some players under contract that we should not want to see get much playing time in the 2023 season.For varying reasons, there are a few players on the roster that I hope we don't see much of in 2023.A couple of them can have their contracts voided by the team, but the financial ramifications might be hard to swallow.

The last time Bill O'Brien coordinated the New England Patriots offense, he made 12-personnel groupings with two tight ends on the field an integral part of the attack.While that was 12 years ago, it would not be at all surprising to see the Patriots again turn to the position as a focal point of their offense now that O'Brien is back.

The Buffalo Bills began preparations for the New England Patriots with meetings and a walkthrough on Wednesday, and with an update on the status of 24-year-old safety Damar Hamlin."Damar remains in the ICU in critical condition with signs of improvement noted yesterday and overnight," the organization shared on Twitter.

As the New England Patriots returned to practice on Wednesday, so did Hunter Henry after departing three downs in on Christmas Eve.But fellow tight end Jonnu Smith, who also did not finish the 22-18 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, was among seven sidelined as Miami Dolphins week got underway inside Gillette Stadium.

Jalen Mills would be among the reinforcements arriving Friday for the New England Patriots.The veteran cornerback returned from the groin issue that sidelined him for four consecutive starts and since being downgraded during the final practice of Week 15.He now stands among five questionable to face the Miami Dolphins.

Kickoff: 1 p.m., Sunday, Gillette Stadium
TV: CBS (Chs. 4 in Miami-Dade, Broward; 12 in Palm Beach); RADIO: Sports USA, WQAM (560 AM), KISS (99.9 FM), WQBA (1140 AM, Spanish)
Coaches: The Dolphins' Mike McDaniel is 8-7 in his first season as a head coach; Bill Belichick is 328-164, including playoffs, in his 28th head coaching season overall and 291-119 in his 23rd season leading the Patriots.

Patriots Kyle Dugger's pick-six gave New England a single-season franchise-record seventh defensive touchdown.FOXBOROUGH - Kyle Dugger darted in front of Miami's Hunter Long just in time.Dugger caught the ball near the 40-yard line, sprinted down the sideline, and made a well-timed cut that put him in position to stiff-arm Dolphins quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and rumble into the end zone.

Veteran tight end Matt Sokol and rookie cornerback Quandre Mosely reverted to the New England Patriots ' practice squad on Monday afternoon.Both served as standard elevations for what became a 23-21 win at Gillette Stadium over the Miami Dolphins.Sokol, 27, played 10 snaps on offense and three snaps on special teams during the AFC East rematch.

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed during his team's Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals and had to be transported to a local hospital via ambulance.He remains in critical condition.The situation led to an outpour of support on social media - from hundreds of thousands of dollars getting donated to Hamlin's GoFundMe, to players, teams and fans expressing their well-wishes for the 24-year-old.

After serving as standard elevations on Christmas Eve, tight end Scotty Washington and kicker Tristan Vizcaino reverted to the New England Patriots ' practice squad on Monday.Both former Cincinnati Bengals saw the field in the 22-18 loss at Gillette Stadium.Washington, 25, played 22 offensive snaps in his NFL debut.

After a noncompetitive first half that saw the New England Patriots (7-8) enter halftime facing a 22-0 deficit, the Patriots came to life in the second half, thanks to a Marcus Jones pick-six and Hail Mary prayer to Jakobi Meyers.However, New England's comeback efforts fell short as they dropped the Week 16 matchup to the Cincinnati Bengals (11-4) 22-18.

Week 15 was the first week of the fantasy football playoffs and it saw several players have big-time performances.On the flip side, some big names struggled in their respective matchups and may have gotten your squad eliminated.Let's take a look at who boomed in Week 15 and who was a bust in standard scoring PPR (point per reception) leagues:
Boomed

QB Josh Allen (35.86),

The New England Patriots were defeated by the Buffalo Bills by a score of 24-10 on Thursday night.The Patriots fall to 6-6 while the Bills move on to 9-3.Let's take a look at the snap count breakdown from the game to see how New England used its talent in the primetime matchup.Offense
Total snaps: 54
QB Mac Jones* (54; 100%), LT Trent Brown* (54; 100%), LG Cole Strange* (54; 100%), C David Andrews* (54; 100%), RG Michael Onwenu* (54; 100%), RT Conor McDermott* (54; 100%), RB Rhamondre Stevenson* (53; 98%), WR DeVante Parker* (47; 87%), TE Hunter Henry* (47; 87%), WR Jakobi Meyers* (31, 57%), WR Nelson Agholor (30; 56%), WR Tyquan Thornton* (21; 39%), WR Kendrick Bourne (20; 37%), TE Jonnu Smith (17; 31%), CB/WR Marcus Jones (3; 6%), RB Kevin Harris (1; 2%)

*denotes starter Mac Jones and the entire offensive line logged all 54 snaps.

Week 12 of the fantasy football season saw some massive performances but also some major busts.With playoffs right around the corner it is essential to play the right guys, so let's gear up for the upcoming week - starting with the New England Patriots' game against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night - by diving into the fantasy football world.

Well... that was something.The New England Patriots and the New York Jets have likely met for the last time in 2022, and once again the Patriots complete the sweep to move out of last place in the AFC East.I called this a must-win game before kickoff, as New England has Minnesota and Buffalo on the horizon next, and while it wasn't overly fun to watch, the Patriots got the W and sit two games clear of .500.

The New England Patriots are back in Week 11 for another matchup against AFC East foe New York Jets.In an unusual schedule twist, the teams meet for the second time in three games and both are coming off a Week 10 bye.New England squeaked out a 22-17 victory over the Jets back in Week 8, a large part due to forcing three interceptions off Zach Wilson.

The New England Patriots last faced off with the New York Jets three weeks ago, on Oct. 30, 2022.New England walked away with a 22-17 win to get back to .500 on the year and stay in touch with the rest of the AFC East.Let's see what has changed for both teams since then.Patriots Changes
The following 51 players were on New England's game-day roster for the October 30th meeting and are still on the active roster heading into this week:

QB Mac Jones, QB Bailey Zappe, RB Damien Harris, RB Rhamondre Stevenson, RB Pierre Strong Jr, WR DeVante Parker, WR Jakobi Meyers, WR Kendrick Bourne, WR Nelson Agholor, WR Tyquan Thornton, TE Hunter Henry, TE Jonnu Smith, OT Trent Brown, OT Isaiah Wynn, G Michael Onwenu, C David Andrews, OL James Ferentz, OT Yodny Cajuste, OG Cole Strange, DL Daniel Ekuale, DL Sam Roberts, DL DaMarcus Mitchell, DL Lawrence Guy, DE Dietrich Wise Jr., DT Davon Godchaux, DT Carl Davis, DL Christian Barmore, OLB Matthew Judon, OLB Josh Uche, LB Ja'Whaun Bentley, LB Jahlani Tavai, LB Mack Wilson Sr, LB Raekwon McMillan, CB Shaun Wade, CB Jalen Mills, CB Myles Bryant, CB Jonathan Jones, CB Jack Jones, CB Marcus Jones, S Kyle Dugger, S Adrian Phillips, S Devin McCourty, S Joshua Bledsoe, S Jabrill Peppers, K Nick Folk, P Jake Bailey, LS Joe Cardona, ST Matthew Slater, ST Raleigh Webb, ST Brenden Schooler

Offense: The quarterback room is the exact same as the matchup three weeks ago.

One of the main goals for the New England Patriots heading into their bye is getting some rest after having played a game in nine straight weeks.The heavy workload, after all, has left several players dealing with injuries or other ailments.Needless to say that they are the ones benefitting the most from the bye: they can enjoy some much-needed time away from the grind that is practice and game day, and get themselves in the best possible shape for New England's stretch run.

Patriots Welcome to the Unconventional Review, an instant reaction to standouts, stats, and story lines from the Patriots' most recent game . . .So the Patriots head into their bye week with a winning record for the first time this season and a stack of contradictions to figure out.Their suspense-free, defensively dominating 26-3 victory over rookie quarterback Sam Ehlinger and his hapless offensive line in a few ways provided the kind of good vibe that a team wants to take into a bye week.

The New England Patriots are entering their bye week on a high note after beating the visiting Indianapolis Colts 26-3 on Sunday.Earning their fifth victory of the season is not the only thing the Patriots can feel good about: they also left the game virtually unscathed.With that said, let's take a look at who was either announced as injured or caught our eye after re-watching the game.

The New England Patriots (5-4) eclipsed the .500mark for the first time this season after a 26-3 victory over the Indianapolis Colts (3-5-1).Here's who stood out for better, and for worse, from the victory at Gillette Stadium.Winner: CB Jonathan Jones.As Bill Belichick said postgame, Jonathan Jones continues to be one of New England's "best players."

Brutal week for the bold predictions last week as the only one that ended up being correct was the Patriots picking off Zach Wilson at least twice.Mac Jones threw only one touchdown, and it wasn't to Jonnu Smith.Despite four quarterback pressures, Matthew Judon could not come up with any sacks and although Isaiah Wynn was active, he did not start.

A bit of a down week as I only went 2-3 in my bold predictions last week, but I did hit on a big one, predicting that we would see both Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe get playing time.The other one I got right was that the Patriots would sack Justin Fields at least three times and thanks to Matthew Judon, we had that by halftime.

The New England Patriots last faced off with the New York Jets in Gillette Stadium on Oct. 24, 2021.This game saw the Patriots dominate in a 54-13 win.Let's see what has changed since then.Patriots Changes
The following 32 players were on New England's game-day roster for that 2021 meeting and are still on the active roster in 2022:

QB Mac Jones, RB Damien Harris, RB Rhamondre Stevenson, WR Jakobi Meyers, WR Kendrick Bourne, WR Nelson Agholor, TE Hunter Henry, TE Jonnu Smith, OT Trent Brown, OT Isaiah Wynn, G Michael Onwenu, C David Andrews, OL James Ferentz, DL Daniel Ekuale, DL Lawrence Guy, DE Dietrich Wise Jr., DT Davon Godchaux, DT Carl Davis, DL Christian Barmore, OLB Matthew Judon, OLB Josh Uche, LB Ja'Whaun Bentley, LB Jahlani Tavai, CB Shaun Wade, CB Jalen Mills, CB Myles Bryant, S Kyle Dugger, S Adrian Phillips, S Devin McCourty, K Nick Folk, P Jake Bailey, LS Joe Cardona, ST Matthew Slater

Offense: The quarterback room is pretty much the same as last year with the addition of one Bailey Zappe and a recent quarterback controversy.

Mac Jones made his return on Monday night against the Bears in what would be one of the ugliest performances of his NFL career so far.On top of all the storylines that have come from the game, the interception that seemingly led to his removal from the game has gained some traction online after a closer examination of the video from the moment.

The New England Patriots did get starting quarterback Mac Jones back for the game against the Chicago Bears on Monday night, but his return did not end their personnel woes.The Patriots, after all, saw several other players go down with injuries during the 33-14 loss.Let's take a look at the players who were either announced as injured or caught our eye after re-watching the game.