2018 Patriots positional snapshot: Special teams ends on strong note, but could change be coming?

With the Patriots’ 2018 season done, we’re going to take a look back at the team by position, and provide a few thoughts as to what they might need at that spot moving forward. So far, we’ve put the offense under the microscope. Now, we have the special teamers:

2018 depth chart: Kicker Stephen Gostkowski, punter Ryan Allen, long snapper Joe Cardona, kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson; special teamers Matthew Slater, Nate Ebner, Brandon King, Albert McClellan, Ramon Humber.

Contract status: Gostkowski (free agent), Allen (free agent), Cardona (signed through 2022), Patterson (free agent), Slater (signed through 2019), Ebner (signed through 2019), King (signed through 2019), McClellan (free agent), Humber (free agent).

Overview: You can usually tell the state of New England’s special teams by reading the mood of Slater. There’s a reason he’s usually a happy and outgoing guy — the Patriots have one of the better special teams groups in the NFL. But Slater’s mood darkened at times this year, specifically when it came to kick coverage. New England really struggled through the early part of the season when it came to containing returners, and while the regular-season win over Kansas City might not have been the statistical low point (the Patriots allowed an average of 38 yards on five returns), it got people wondering as to whether or not the Patriots should simply start booting the ball out of the back of the end zone instead of having Gostkowski try and drop it inside the 10. In the end, Slater and company were able to right the ship -- while the Patriots finished the year 26th when it came to kick return yards allowed (24.6), New England was able to make enough adjustments down the stretch and into the postseason where it wasn’t an issue late in the year and into the playoffs.