Patriots mailbag: Who has most to gain in final month?

We’re running a mailbag on Fridays during the season. If you have questions on the Patriots, NFL, or want gripe about past answers, email cmason@masslive.com or tweet @bychrismason. Now let’s get to this week’s questions!

Which player has the best opportunity to boost their stock in the past four weeks of the season? You’d mentioned Mike Onwenu clinching a payday after his performance against TJ Watt. Who else has the chance to get themselves in a similar spot? — Matt K.

OK, I’ll give you three non-Onwenu selections.

1. Bailey Zappe.

I understand the quarterback is the most straightforward answer, but he’s also a correct one. While almost everybody else on the roster has put plenty of tape out this season, Zappe hasn’t. If he can string a few good performances together, he’ll certainly have the inside track on New England’s backup gig for next season. A few great performances, and he may turn himself into a valuable trade chip. The better he plays in December, the more snaps he’ll see in the future.

2. Josh Uche

Coming off a breakout season where the edge rusher registered 11.5 sacks, 25 pressures, and caught fire down the stretch, he’s struggled to replicate that performance in a contract year. With Matthew Judon shelved since early October, Uche has notched just 2 sacks and 9 pressures while playing 27.8% of the defensive snaps this season.

With free agency looming, an underwhelming season will look quite a bit better if he can add a few sacks to the stat sheet in the season’s final month.

3. Mack Wilson

Though he flies under the radar, Wilson is also heading into free agency again. The speedy sub-linebacker has seen his snap count rise and is starting to make plays on a weekly basis. If he can keep building momentum, he’ll see a fuller marketplace in March.

And yes, Onwenu is still near the top of my list. The more good tape he puts out at tackle, the more zeroes he’ll see in his next contract.

BET ANYTHINGGET $250 BONUSESPN BET

21+ and present in MA, NJ, PA, VA, MD, WV, TN, LA, KS, KY, CO, AZ, IL, IA, IN, OH, MI. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.

Patriots biggest need after QB? — Brian R.

Wide receiver and tackle are 1 and 1A. Take your pick.

The wideout room is still devoid of game-changing talent. You could double the receiving yards of any Patriots pass catcher and they still wouldn’t have as many as DeAndre Hopkins, who they flirted with over the summer.

And tackle is a major issue moving forward because Bill Belichick simply hasn’t addressed the position with any long-term vision. If they pay up, they can try to retain Onwenu, but they’re still going to need somebody on the other side. I highly doubt that’ll be Trent Brown in 2024.

For this Bill Belichick posse, who’s gonna be responsible for turning off the lights when they’re shown the door? Who might stay around? — Ed H.

If Belichick is in fact done, I think a lot depends on three things:

1. How it ends

2. What comes next for Belichick

3. Who his replacement is

If things get ugly between Belichick and Robert Kraft, it’s hard to imagine his sons Steve and Brian sticking around — though I think they’d still have jobs if Jerod Mayo is the successor. Someone like defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington has already drawn coordinator interest and could leave independently. Wide receivers coach Ross Douglas flew the coop in that fashion last weekend.

If Belichick lands somewhere like Los Angeles, he could certainly try to bring staff members with him. Joe Judge and Cam Achord seem like natural candidates to follow the coach. I don’t think Bill O’Brien would.

But this entire discussion could be moot if the Patriots don’t go with Mayo and opt for an external hire who wants to bring his own staff in. It’s generally a foolish practice to fire an entire staff, but some hardheaded coaches do it. When Belichick arrived in New England, he retained assistants Dante Scarnecchia and Ivan Fears, and that worked out very, very well for all parties involved.

I wonder if Bill might be a bit more open to giving up final say on the GM duties given the fact that he lived the nomadic life of a coach before his stint in New England? My rationale is that him moving on because of said change in GM duties not only affects him, but also his two sons and their families. Your take on this? — Mark M.

Your logic makes sense, but ultimately I just don’t see him ceding that power in New England. It’d require Belichick to eat some crow, and I don’t think he has the appetite for that — especially if Kraft is the one serving him.

If Belichick takes another head coaching job, he can bring Steve and Brian along if he wants and they’ll certainly enjoy as much job security as he does. And interestingly, Belichick’s career hasn’t been as nomadic as most coaches. If you want to see a total nomad, check out former Patriots quarterbacks coach Jedd Fisch’s Wikipedia page.

Do the Patriots pick a QB with top pick or trade down for a second tier? — Jordan K.

If they stay at No. 2 overall, they should absolutely take a quarterback. Both Caleb Williams and Drake Maye have the tools to be franchise-changers.

If Bill still wants to coach, why wouldn’t he want to coach Navy until he’s ready to retire? With his appreciation of history, it could bring his family full circle — Miller

Navy just hired new head coach Brian Newberry last season and coaching college football is way more work than the NFL. With recruiting and spring ball, there’s no offseason for those guys. At 72, I don’t think Belichick will be looking to put more on his plate.

After the recent failures of practically every QB taken in the first round, why does the media think it will be different now? — Todd G.

Um, how’s CJ Stroud looking?

In all seriousness, 11 of the Top 15 quarterbacks in passing yards were first-round picks. Guys like Jalen Hurts and Brock Purdy remain the exception, not the rule.

Let’s say the Patriots win a couple games down the stretch and fall out of a Top 5 pick where Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Marvin Harrison Jr. are no longer available. Do you think they’d stick and take a tackle like Alt? Maybe Jayden Daniels’ stock rises enough that they’re comfortable taking him? Trade down? — Erik P.

I think they’ll take a tackle if they fall out of the Top 5, but fortunately — albeit, unfortunately in the short term — I don’t see them winning out and making that a possibility. As it stands, they have a nice cushion near the top of the board and I’d be pretty surprised if they didn’t wind up in the Top 3.

Here’s how the draft order currently looks:

1. CHI (via CAR): 1-12

2. NE: 3-10

3. ARI: 3-10

4. WAS: 4-9

5. LAC: 5-9

6. CHI: 5-8

7. LV: 5-8

8. NYJ: 5-8

9. NYG: 5-8

10. TEN: 5-8

Will we see the Patriots sign/draft someone who has a similar playing style to Malik Cunningham (at least as a practice squad member or 3rd string QB)? — Conor M.

That all depends on who is doing the drafting.