T
he acquisition of DeVante Parker was a boost to the New England Patriots passing game as they prepare for the 2022 NFL season.
Director of player personnel Matt Groh met with the media on Friday and when asked about the Parker trade, he credited coach Matt Patricia for being on the ball in terms of going after the wide receiver.
“Certainly, it got kick-started on their end with them adding a different player and then where they were at with their wide receiver room,” Groh said over Zoom, referring to Miami’s trade for Tyreek Hill. “And then having the opportunity to add a great player to our roster.
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“They weren’t going to be able to just keep everybody, and when a player became available, I would say Matt Patricia did a great job of being on that early and kind of getting that information to us as quickly as he could. We were in on that early, and it really came together well for us. We’re really excited about having DeVante here.”
Switching Sides
Patricia being the driving force behind the Parker trade illustrates how things have changed in New England. While predominately being a defensive coach in the NFL, Patricia is now operating as an offensive coach in 2022. Patricia hasn’t coached an offense since 2005.
At the Annual Owners Meetings, head coach Bill Belichick singled out Patricia along with Joe Judge as some of the coaches will help replace Josh McDaniels.
“It’s great to have Joe Judge back and Matt, of course. They’re two really good coaches along with some of the other coaches we have offensively — Nick Caley, Troy (Brown) and so forth, guys that were here last year. We’re working through it, and we’ll do the best we can here.”
Patricia served in a different role last season. He spent the 2021 season as a senior football advisor.
“Matt’s done a lot of different roles for us,” Belichick said via NESN, “and he’s been a big help to me and the organization.”
The head coach also mentioned that he isn’t too concerned about Patricia and others switching the sides of the ball that they coach.
“We’ve had a lot of coaches take multiple responsibilities,” Belichick said via NESN. “Josh and Brian Daboll were on defense and then they went to offense. Matt was on offense and went to defense. So forth and so on. So I’m not really worried about that. I think a good coach is a good coach, and Matt’s a great coach. Joe’s a great coach. They’ll help us no matter what position they coach.”
Not Big On Titles
Even as the NFL season continues to get closer and closer, no one knows the exact roles of the coaches on offense. Belichick said Patricia, Judge and every other Patriots assistant will have a “defined role,” but he declined to reveal what those roles will be.
“I’m not big on titles,” Belichick said. “We have jobs to do. We’ll do the jobs.”
But whatever Patricia’s role is on offense, he deserves some credit for helping New England acquire Parker.
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