9 winners and losers from the Patriots hiring Josh McDaniels as offensive coordinator

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This update will affect people in different ways, some positively, others negatively, starting on Tuesday.

Winners

Josh McDaniels has never coached a quarterback with Maye's multiple skills and abilities on the field. The closest he came was with Cam Newton in the 2020 season, when Newton was not nearly as great as he used to be, especially after he got COVID-19. To take full advantage of Maye's ability to move around and do different things on the field, McDaniels is likely to draw on the playbook they used in the 2020 season.

The rest of the plan will be played out on the field, but McDaniels appears to be a big supporter of his new quarterback, who will be working alongside an experienced play caller with a proven track record of success in developing quarterbacks.

Bourne had a breakout season in 2021 when he rejoined the Patriots after working with coach McDaniels. He set career-highs in receptions (55), yards (800), and touchdowns (5). Since then, things have gone downhill for Bourne. Now, two years after an ACL injury, McDaniels is again his coordinator, and Bourne has already expressed his enthusiasm on social media. If McDaniels can revive Bourne's performance, it would greatly benefit the Patriots' passing attack.

Similar to Bourne, Henry had a lot of success working under McDaniels in 2021, setting a new personal record with 9 touchdown catches. Over the three years since, Henry has found his way into the end zone a total of 10 times. As a veteran, Henry already established himself as Maye's go-to receiver last year, and he could now be a key figure in the Patriots' red-zone offense once again.

In 2021, as a newcomer, Stevenson played 12 games under McDaniels and managed an average of 4.6 yards per rush. To benefit his top pick, McDaniels' most effective assistance would be to handle his workload wisely. New England is expected to employ a backfield rotation under McDaniels where each back specializes in a specific role (running on first downs, handling third-down situations). This should allow Stevenson to stay rested as the season progresses. Consequently, this strategy might also lead to Antonio Gibson assuming a third-down role.

Losers

The move to McDaniels' system isn't getting rave reviews from rookie or sophomore wide receivers. His system is regarded as challenging for young players at this position. Perhaps Polk could develop a role similar to Jakobi Meyers going forward, but it's hard to envision a long-term career for Baker ahead.

Before McDaniels joined the team, Alex Van Pelt, the former offensive coordinator, and T.C. McCartney, the quarterbacks coach, were still part of the staff, but it was unclear how they were seen by the team. However, with the arrival of McDaniels, it's been decided that Van Pelt will no longer be the offensive coordinator. Whether McDaniels will choose to keep Van Pelt and McCartney with the team is unknown, but if he does, it would likely come with a reduction in their roles.

TBD

It's well known in New England that Josh McDaniels' past offenses were constructed around slot receivers like Julian Edelman and Wes Welker. The slot position has been occupied by Pop Douglas for the last couple of years, however, he may not have the physical attributes to handle a high volume of plays in the middle of the field. We'll have to wait and see what role McDaniels assigns to Douglas, who is still a valuable player, but it's possible his role will be more limited to a guy like Danny Amendola.