INDIANAPOLIS — In the seasons ahead, expect the Patriots to look faster.
More athletic. More explosive. And likely … more mistake-prone.
That is the cost of playing younger players in the NFL, a new emphasis for the franchise under head coach Jerod Mayo and personnel chief Eliot Wolf. Mayo and Wolf told reporters separately this week that the Patriots will rely more on inexperienced players under their leadership compared to past years. Wolf highlighted that difference when asked specifically how his roster-building philosophy will differ from Bill Belichick’s.
“I think there’s just going to be a little bit more reliance on playing young players,” Wolf said Tuesday. “I think it’s really important in today’s football to be able to play young players and develop from within.
On Wednesday, Mayo confirmed the Patriots will prioritize playing time for younger players and offered two reasons behind the change.
“You want to play younger players because, I mean, first of all, they’re cheaper,” Mayo said with a smile. “And then second of all, I want to say you want to have a good mix, though. You can’t have all 22-, 23-year-olds out there. You need that 30-year-old that can kind of settle everyone down that has that experience, too.”
During Belichick’s tenure, the Patriots annually fielded one of the oldest rosters in the league, which often provided consistent advantages; fewer penalties, greater game-planning flexibility and the ability to enact in-game adjustments more quickly. Wolf’s comments Tuesday followed an admission that the Patriots’ defense must get faster and more explosive, though Mayo dismissed that as a “pretty general comment” on Wednesday.