As I wrote in my article about potential trade targets for the New England Patriots, this team has been struggling over the last few seasons, but they have some excellent coaches who are trying to get them back on track. The Patriots recently lost their most important offensive and defensive players, Tom Brady and Devin McCourty, and they’ve got some weaknesses to shore up if they want to get back to dominating the AFC East and contending for more Super Bowls.

Trades are one way the Patriots can shore up those weaknesses. Another is for their current players to reach their full potential on the field – and New England does have some players with great potential. This season, we should be watching three in particular as possible breakout candidates for the New England Patriots: Ty Montgomery, Tyquan Thornton, and Jack Jones.

Patriots Breakout Candidates

Ty Montgomery

Ty Montgomery’s moved around a lot during his relatively short career. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 2015 Draft (he started off as a wide receiver, but switched to running back in 2016). Since then, Montgomery has played for the Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, and New Orleans Saints before being picked up by the Patriots in 2022. He hasn’t done a whole lot for the Patriots yet, since his first season with New England was cut short by an injury. But, chances are he’ll break out this season if he avoids getting hurt again.

Patriots RB/WR Ty Montgomery (14) – Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Montgomery’s hungry; like the whole Patriots team today, he’s got something to prove. I expect New England’s offensive coaches to give Montgomery a lot of action this season. He’s a formidable weapon because he can play as a receiver or a running back. Since we’ll probably see a lot of short, quick passes and solid handoffs from Mac Jones, Montgomery’s going to find himself playing in exactly the kind of offensive strategy that offers him the best chance of breaking out. We’ll see if he does it.

Tyquan Thornton

I mentioned that New England’s current players reaching their full potential on the field is one way for them to shore up their weaknesses. Tyquan Thornton knows this and wants to become the best receiver he can be. The Patriots drafted Thornton in the second round of the 2022 Draft. He didn’t necessarily captivate audiences during his rookie season, but that’s at least partially due to the poor state of the Patriots’ offense as a whole.

Patriots WR Tyquan Thornton (11) – Bryan Bennett/Getty Images

Overall, Thornton shows promise. He’s energetic and eager to make a name for himself – and his ability to separate on routes is believed to show “flashes of high-end potential.” This doesn’t make it a foregone conclusion that he’ll break out this season, but the Patriots are revamping their offense and Bill O’Brien’s presence will tighten things up quite a bit for them on that side of the ball. Thornton is going to get a chance this year to establish himself as an essential player in the Patriots’ offense. Keep an eye on him, because he probably will.

Jack Jones

Despite his troubles off the field, Jones is a defensive player with explosive potential. He was drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2022 Draft, and in the first half of New England’s Week 4 game against the Green Bay Packers, Jones had a forced fumble and fumble recovery as well as a pick six off Aaron Rodgers – only the fourth player ever to do so against Rodgers. Through the first five weeks of his rookie season, Jones was rated the number one cornerback in single-coverage by Pro Football Focus.

Patriots DB Jack Jones (13) – Adam Glanzman/Getty Images

Not only has Jones proven himself to be a powerful threat to any offense, but there’s another big reason to think he might break out this season. Bill Belichick says players often make their biggest jump from their rookie year to their second NFL season. Jones is now entering his second year, and if he breaks out, he might even earn himself the reputation of a future elite cornerback.

There is one caveat, though. Whether Jones breaks out this season depends on whether he gets a chance to play, and we don’t know that he will, or for how many games. He currently faces criminal firearms charges and the rest of his team is said to be pretty upset about it. His future with the Patriots – and in the NFL at all, for that matter – is up in the air right now. But, if he does see the field again, expect him to wreak some havoc.

Takeaway

The New England Patriots are poised to become a top-contending football team once more. But, they still need to get some things in order before they can truly dominate the AFC East again and win another Super Bowl. One of those is that their current players have to get out there and give it their all this season. It’s not easy to say for sure which players will break out at any given time, but keep your eyes on Ty Montgomery, Tyquan Thornton, and – if he plays – Jack Jones. All three are excellent candidates.