New England Patriots

Cornerback Malcolm Butler reportedly will not take the field for the New England Patriots this season.

ESPN's Field Yates reported Tuesday that the AFC East team placed Butler on the injured reserve list. While there were no details about the injury, the cornerback is not eligible to return this season because of the move.

This is an unfortunate development for Butler, who was in the middle of a comeback effort after he retired ahead of the 2021 campaign. He had signed a one-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals but never suited up for the team.

New England signed him in March, which reunited the two sides after he played his first four seasons for the Patriots.

"I feel like I have a lot to prove, especially to myself," Butler said in May, per Chris Mason of MassLive. "If I do it myself, I'll prove it to my teammates at the same time. So that's why I'm working hard every day and trying to stay focused."

Yet, as Mike Reiss of ESPN highlighted, he was more in line to be an additional depth piece than a starter:

Patriots cornerbacks:

🏈Jalen Mills
🏈Jonathan Jones
🏈Terrance Mitchell
🏈Marcus Jones (slot)
🏈Myles Bryant (slot)
🏈Jack Jones
🏈Shaun Wade
🏈Justin Bethel

NOTE: Malcolm Butler projected as a backup through early part of camp, adding depth behind Jones-Mitchell combo.

— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) August 16, 2022

Butler was a 2015 Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champion during his first stint with New England.

He famously intercepted Russell Wilson at the goal line to clinch the Patriots' 28-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX, but he was benched for their loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII.

The West Alabama product also played for the Tennessee Titans for three seasons from 2018 through 2020. He finished his final campaign with the team with 100 tackles, 14 passes defended and four interceptions.

Now his comeback efforts will have to wait until at least the 2023 season.

New England Patriots assistant coaches Matt Patricia and Joe Judge split offensive play-calling duties during the team's 23-21 loss to the New York Giants in Thursday's preseason opener, and head coach Bill Belichick shut down speculation regarding that decision.

"That doesn't have anything to do with it," he told reporters Monday when asked if they split the play-calling because there is a competition between them.

Rather, Belichick said it is all part of the Patriots "going through a process" that he didn't have time to explain further.

Having multiple coaches calling the plays for a team that has not officially named an offensive coordinator after Josh McDaniels left to become the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders is certainly unusual.

It is even more unusual because Patricia, who is a senior football adviser/offensive line coach, has primarily been a defensive coach for much of his career, while Judge, who is an offensive assistant/quarterbacks coach, has worked on special teams.

Patricia was also the head coach of the Detroit Lions from 2018 until 2020, while Judge was the head coach of the New York Giants the past two seasons.

Both coaches said they are doing what Belichick wants in an effort to improve the team, and that apparently meant Patricia calling plays when quarterback Brian Hoyer was in the game and Judge doing the same when rookie Bailey Zappe took over.

Hoyer went 5-of-8 for 59 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions, while Zappe was 19-of-32 for 205 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

While the approach may be unorthodox, it is hard to argue with Belichick's track record of success.

He is arguably the greatest coach in NFL history with a resume that includes six Super Bowl titles, three Associated Press Coach of the Year awards and 19 playoff appearances. He has led the Patriots to nine Super Bowls in all and sports a sparkling 254-99 record with the franchise.

The offense will be a focal point in the early going of the 2022 campaign given the approach with multiple coaches, McDaniels' exit and the presence of second-year quarterback Mac Jones.

Jones helped lead New England to the playoffs as a rookie in 2021, but the coaching staff took a conservative approach at times as he became accustomed to the NFL level. Never was that more apparent than when he attempted just three passes during a December win over the Buffalo Bills.

Whether he can take a second-year leap with a new offensive coaching staff could ultimately determine the Patriots' ceiling as they look to compete with a different play-calling approach.

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said no decision has been made about the team's offensive play-caller after Matt Patricia and Joe Judge split the duties in Thursday's 23-21 preseason loss to the New York Giants.

"We did a lot of things in this game that are going to be beneficial in the long run, whether it was on the coaching staff, playing time, players that played and so forth," Belichick told reporters. "That's all part of the process."

He said the Pats will "work it out," adding: "We're going through a process. Just like everything else on this team."

Even for a tight-lipped organization like the Patriots, it's rare to reach this stage of preparations for a new season with a key decision like who's going to call the plays unsettled.

The opening came available when offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels left the team in late January to take over as the Las Vegas Raiders' head coach. Nearly seven months later his shoes still haven't been totally filled.

Belichick didn't see any major issues with the rotating play-callers on Thursday night.

"I didn't think [it] was a problem," he said. "... I thought we were on the ball quickly, had plenty of time to operate. We had to audible a few times and were able to do that. There's plenty of room for improvement. I'm not saying we're there yet, but getting there."

The situation probably wouldn't be such a major storyline if the offense was playing at a high level throughout training camp, but that hasn't been the case.

Second-year quarterback Mac Jones and the rest of the unit have struggled, raising concerns after the signal-caller's strong rookie campaign.

Jones didn't take the field for the preseason opener, so it wasn't possible to see whether the first-team offense has been making some positive strides, but the reserves tallied a modest 308 total yards.

It's unclear whether the top offensive coaching role is a true competition between Matt Patricia and Joe Judge, two former NFL head coaches, or if the Pats are going to share the responsibility all year.

The next chance for them to impress will come next Friday when New England hosts the Carolina Panthers in its second of three exhibition contests.

Matt Patricia's official title with the New England Patriots is senior football advisor and offensive line coach, but it appears he's now the team's de facto offensive coordinator as well.

Per multiple reports, Patricia was calling the plays during the team's preseason opener on Thursday night against the New York Giants.

Matt Patricia calling plays for the Patriots offense.

— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) August 11, 2022

Patricia is definitely calling the plays.

— Greg A. Bedard (@GregABedard) August 11, 2022

Joe Judge also has a headset and play sheet, but Patricia is doing most of the talking pre-snap.

— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) August 11, 2022

ESPN's Mike Reiss offered more details on how Patricia and quarterbacks coach Joe Judge—the former head coach of the New York Giants—were handling the offensive possessions on Thursday night:

On the first drive, Matt Patricia called the offensive plays.

During this time when the defense is on the field, Patricia huddles with the OL, and Joe Judge is with the QBs.

A snapshot of how the Patriots are divvying up the coaching duties. https://t.co/BJqEfK3ou8

— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) August 11, 2022

Promoting Patricia to the offensive play-calling duties is a curious decision. In Patricia's first stint with the team, he largely spent time on the defensive side of the ball as the linebackers coach (2006-10), safeties coach (2011) and defensive coordinator (2012-17).

He then served as the Detroit Lions head coach from 2018 to '20, going 13-29-1. His offensive coordinators, Jim Bob Cooter (2018) and Darrell Bevell (2019 and '20), called the plays.

So it's a brand-new role for Patricia while he also handles his duties with the offensive line.

Josh McDaniels - a very good offensive coordinator - rarely if ever left the side of the quarterbacks in between series. I still don’t get the upside of having Patricia, a first-year OC installing a new system, doing double-duty with OL. Asking an awful lot. https://t.co/M2FtBSy4hi

— Tom E. Curran (@tomecurran) August 11, 2022

David Andrews has been ... the de-facto offensive line coach while Matt Patricia runs drives and debriefs with the QBs?

Andrews is, according to his teammates, one of the smartest Patriots players. But ... he's a player not a coach.

— Henry McKenna (@henrycmckenna) August 11, 2022

It's possible, however, that head coach Bill Belichick is essentially auditioning both Patricia and Judge for the role, as later in the game it appeared as though Judge took over the play-calling duties:

With Bailey Zappe in the game at QB, Joe Judge now appears to be calling the plays, with Matt Patricia taking a step back along the sideline. https://t.co/doy6lm47te

— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) August 11, 2022

Looked like Joe Judge was calling offensive plays on that drive. Getting a chance now with Patricia handling the Hoyer drives. #Patriots

— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) August 11, 2022

Looks to me like Joe Judge is calling plays during this series with Bailey Zappe at quarterback. Judge closer to the field. Patricia hanging back with Mac Jones and Brian Hoyer a bit.

— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) August 11, 2022

So there is some uncertainty surrounding who will be calling the plays in New England when the offense has the ball. Perhaps Belichick is giving both a shot to prove themselves in the gig, or maybe they'll split the duties, though that seems like an odd approach.

One would imagine Belichick would have the situation sorted by the start of the regular season to provide second-year quarterback Mac Jones and the offense with continuity.

But it's a bizarre situation, and one that would probably be an even bigger story if it wasn't happening under an eight-time Super Bowl champion in Belichick.

New England Patriots running back James White announced his retirement after nine NFL seasons Thursday.

New England will be in my heart forever. Thank you for unwavering support over the years. I am forever grateful.

This chapter has been one that I will cherish. I look forward to what is next. pic.twitter.com/8qd0FbA0tW

— James White (@SweetFeet_White) August 11, 2022

White was attempting to make a comeback from a hip injury that cost him all but three games in the 2021 season. He was placed on the physically unable to perform list at the start of camp and had no timetable for his return.

A 2014 fourth-round pick, White spent his entire career with the Patriots as a third-down specialist. While he only made 319 carries over the course of his career, he added 381 receptions and was a reliable check-down target for Tom Brady. His career-best season came in 2018, when he rushed for 425 yards and added 751 yards through the air, scoring 12 touchdowns in the process, as part of the Patriots' Super Bowl LIII-winning team.

New England won three championships during White's tenure with the franchise.

"James defines the term consummate professional," head coach Bill Belichick said in a statement. "His dependability, consistency, unselfishness and performance under pressure are elite. Combining great intelligence, quickness and elusiveness, James was a perfect fit for our pass offense. While soft spoken, he brought exceptional leadership and competitive toughness to the team. He was a multi-year team captain and one of the most respected, best team players I have ever coached."

The Patriots hoped White would be able to resume his third-down duties this season but do have a loaded depth chart led by Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson. Rookie Pierre Strong Jr. and veteran Ty Montgomery are the most likely options to serve as the Patriots' primary pass-catcher out of the backfield this season.

Quarterback Mac Jones is one of several starters reportedly not expected to play in the New England Patriots' preseason opener against the New York Giants on Thursday night.

According to ESPN's Mike Reiss and Dan Graziano, "most" of the Pats' starters are unlikely to play Thursday, meaning the game will primarily be a showcase for rookies and backups.

Reiss and Graziano added that Bailey Zappe, a rookie fourth-round pick out of Western Kentucky, is expected to take the bulk of the snaps at quarterback against the Giants.

Although Jones is only entering his second NFL season, it is not uncommon for starting quarterbacks to sit out some or even all of their team's preseason games.

Keeping Jones healthy is paramount for the Pats since all they have behind him are the unproven Zappe and journeyman veteran Brian Hoyer, neither of whom seem likely to lead New England to much success if Jones misses time.

The Patriots made Jones the No. 15 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft out of Alabama, and he went on to enjoy the best season of any rookie quarterback, finishing second in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting to Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase.

Jones started all 17 games, leading the Patriots to a 10-7 record and a wild-card playoff berth. He also completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions en route to a Pro Bowl selection.

While Jones struggled in a 47-17 playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills, he led the Pats to a far better season than anyone could have anticipated on the heels of the team missing the postseason in 2020.

The 2022 season will be pivotal for Jones since his offensive coordinator from 2021, Josh McDaniels, left New England to take the Las Vegas Raiders' head coaching job.

New England is not naming a new offensive coordinator, but Jones figures to work closely with both Matt Patricia and Joe Judge. Patricia will be the senior football advisor and offensive line coach, while Judge will be an offensive assistant and quarterbacks coach.

Both Patricia and Judge spent time as NFL head coaches before returning to the Patriots' staff, meaning they could bring a unique perspective for Jones to learn from.

Making a second consecutive playoff appearance will be a massive challenge for New England in the loaded AFC, but if Jones can make significant strides from last season, the Pats have a chance to be contenders once again.

The New England Patriots offense is struggling in training camp this summer, and Monday's practice was a low point for Jones and the offense.

However, Jones told reporters Tuesday that he's dedicated to turning things around and that he will figure out why the unit is failing to live up to expectations:

"I’m going to figure it out. I always have. I always will," Jones said. "At the end of the day, you’re going to have your ups and downs with anything new. … When there’s 10 people that look into my eyes, I know they’re going to trust me to do the right thing on game day."

Monday's practice was considered a low point for the New England offense, with Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston writing on Twitter that the offense was "distressingly bad."

"Run stuffs. Aborted plays. Would-be sacks. Distress lobs into traffic just to get ball out. Beginning to feel it’s less the new offense and more the post-(Dante Scarnecchia) cycle of OL coaches. They are perpetually overwhelmed," Curran wrote.

NBC Sports Boston's Phil Perry added that the offense looked "broken."

"Can’t protect. Losing 1-on-1s. Blitzes getting through. No run game. Miscommunication on routes," Perry wrote in a Twitter post.

Josh McDaniels served as offensive coordinator of the Patriots from 2012-2021 before taking a job as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders in January. He also ran the New England offense from 2006-08.

Now, a combination of Joe Judge and Matt Patricia are serving as offensive assistants after head coach Bill Belichick failed to name an offensive coordinator entering training camp, and things appear more disorganized than ever.

Neither Judge nor Patricia has an extensive amount of experience running an offense. Patricia, in particular, has more experience on defense and even served as New England's defensive coordinator from 2012-17.

Jones, in particular, is expected to take another step forward in his development during the 2022 campaign after an impressive rookie season that saw him throw for 3,801 yards and 22 touchdowns in 17 games.

All things considered, it's not necessarily surprising that the Patriots' offense is struggling this summer. However, if the Patriots can't figure things out quickly, the offense could be in for a brutal season.

In a quarterback-driven league, with the increased focus on the passing game (see the wide receiver market), the New England Patriots need to put Mac Jones in the best position to grow significantly in his second year. Unfortunately for the young signal-caller, the team hasn’t made a smooth transition from former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

This offseason, McDaniels accepted the Las Vegas Raiders head coaching job and plucked Mick Lombardi (former wide receivers coach) and Bo Hardegree (former offensive assistant) directly from the Patriots staff. To this day, New England hasn’t officially named an offensive coordinator, but that’s not the problem.

Jones may have too many voices and not enough experienced offensive play-callers in his headset throughout the regular season.

According to The Athletic’s Jeff Howe, senior adviser Matt Patricia will assume offensive play-calling duties.

As Matt Patricia has called the vast majority of Patriots offensive plays in training camp — with Joe Judge and Bill Belichick occasionally working in — the continued expectation is for Patricia to be the play caller/de facto OC once the season starts, according to a source.

— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) August 4, 2022

When asked about his role by reporters, Patricia presented the idea of a collaborative responsibility on offense.

“It’s great this time of year because fortunately, all the plays are just scripted in a row and you just kind of read down through them from that standpoint. But what’s good is that we’re all sharing the responsibilities based on what periods we’re at in practice. So from that aspect of it, it’s structured, I would say.

"We all kind of handle—all of the coaches, all the way across the board—we all kind of work together. Coach Belichick obviously helps us a lot, too. … It’s a big divide and conquer at some points where we have to just—we have a lot of work to get done through the course of the night, and everybody really understands what we have to do.”

Based on the flow of New England's offseason program and Patricia’s comments, the Patriots will create offensive game plans and make game-day calls by committee, though he’ll have a prominent voice in that area.

Of the 17 teams that have made a coaching change since 2020, 10 now have offensive-minded head coaches with pro experience.

Even teams that don't have a lead skipper with an offensive background paired the quarterback with a coordinator who has recent or significant coaching experience on that side of the ball. That's where the Patriots differ from the rest of the league.

As a six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach, Belichick will get the benefit of the doubt even though he rose through the NFL ranks as a position coach for linebackers and special teams and as a defensive coordinator for the New York Giants. But as essentially the CEO of his coaching staff, he’s not making the best decision for the development of his quarterback.

Joe Judge, the quarterbacks coach and one of three people involved in the play-calling process during the spring, served as a special teams assistant at Alabama (2009-11) and a special teams coordinator for the Patriots (2015-19) with one year as a wide receivers coach in 2019. As the head coach of the Giants between 2020 and 2021, his offenses finished with the second-fewest points and yards in both campaigns.

Quarterback Daniel Jones and former Giants’ play-callers Jason Garrett and Freddie Kitchens deserve some blame for Big Blue's below-average offensive production in recent years, but Judge didn’t do anything to fix the issues on that side of the ball, which likely led to his exit.

To replace Judge, the Giants hired Brian Daboll, who served as the Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator between 2018 and 2021. He may delegate play-calling duties to Mike Kafka, who, as a quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator, worked with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes over the past four years.

Do you see what the Giants did? They went all in on offensive coaches to give Jones a chance to prove he’s a serviceable starting quarterback in a contract year. We should question how much Judge can help Mac Jones under center in New England.

As for Patricia, he broke into the league as an offensive assistant in New England for the 2004 season and then became an assistant offensive line coach in the following the campaign. From there, he transitioned to the other side of the ball, leading the linebackers, safeties and most notably taking on a defensive coordinator role between 2012 and 2017.

Patricia deserves credit for his hand in designing top-10 scoring defenses that played a part in the Patriots' two successful Super Bowl runs during his six-year tenure as a coordinator. However, just like Judge’s offensively flawed head coaching stint with the Giants, as the lead skipper for the Detroit Lions, he didn’t have any answers for an offense that ranked 18th or worse in points and 17th or worse in yards for three consecutive terms (2018 to 2020).

How can Patriots fans feel confident about the involvement of Judge and Patricia in the offense with their coaching resumes?

In May, during organized team activities, Greg A. Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal reported that Patriots players had concerns about the direction of the offense.

"There is a high-level of concern about what is going on with the Patriots."@GregABedard says he's heard that #Patriots players are 'alarmed' so far with what they've seen from the team's offensive coaching staff 😳 pic.twitter.com/5FTVhscSxK

— Patriots Coverage on NBCS Boston (@NBCSPatriots) May 19, 2022

Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal provided some insight into the end of a rough spring for Jones and the offense.

“During the spring OTAs and minicamp, Jones completed 87% (59 of 68) of his passes against the defense in competitive drills. In the final two days of camp last week, the second-year quarterback completed just 52% of his passes (12 of 23) in 11-in-11s to go with two interceptions. That involved large chunks of offensive inefficiency and a peeved Jones, who quickly left Saturday’s session instead of sticking around on the practice field like he usually does.”

Daniels rang the alarm bells because he stated that the offense has the advantage during spring practices because of the no-contact rule with cornerbacks unable to jam wideouts at the line of scrimmage or hold at all during their routes.

Perhaps the offense just went through early growing pains with changes in the staff, but the unit hasn’t looked sharp early at training camp either. Daniels shared his observations from the first padded practice.

“On Monday, the first day the players were in pads, Jones’ offense started full-team drills with a false start from Isaiah Wynn. Jones followed that by throwing his third interception in the last three practices. The easiest path for the Patriots to become a Super Bowl contender is for Jones to develop into one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL. After a strong rookie season and a great spring from Jones, offensive woes have plagued the Patriots.”

On Tuesday, Jones shared with reporters his thoughts about the team’s offensive issues.

“I care a lot about football and … when we lose the day, to me that’s like a shot in the heart, it’s like we lost a game. The goal is to have more good plays than the other team and that’s the defense right now. I feel like we can compete even more and even better, but a lot of it is just execution and the X's and O's and figuring out how to communicate with each other.

"A lot of it is just talking through it and finding ways to attack better. We have great coaches that will get us [to being successful], and right now it’s more about the communication of getting there.”

Heading into his second year, Jones isn’t going to throw his coaching staff under the bus—especially not a Belichick-led group. But he’s clearly frustrated with a slow start and acknowledges that his unit has a lot of work to do.

On Thursday, Bedard noted that the Patriots' offensive group finished the week of padded practices with a “whimper” and provided harsh criticism of the unit.

“You'd be generous in giving them a D. There's been slight improvement each day, but it's been minimal,” Bedard wrote. “Had the first-team offense for six successful [plays] (that's also being generous, giving credit for checkdowns and quick passes) and 10 fails.”

No one knows how the Patriots offense would look under a group of offensive-minded coaches, but we cannot overlook the lack of expertise and trust in one coach to mold Jones.

The Patriots have three offensive cooks in the kitchen, but the meal doesn’t look appetizing, and the lead server (Jones) isn’t on a promising path right now. New England has plenty of time to iron out the wrinkles, though the learning curve could take some time as Patricia and Judge adjust to new positions.

In the event that New England’s offense looks sluggish at the beginning of the 2022 season, Belichick may have to tweak the chain of command, which could further complicate things for Jones.

If the Patriots offense regresses from last year's sixth-ranked scoring unit, Jones will take the blame after a solid rookie Pro Bowl campaign with 3,801 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, 13 interceptions and a 67.6 percent completion rate.

But the blame should fall on Belichick. Thus far, his post-McDaniels play-calling plan has fallen flat.

---

Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.