Patriots are officially past the midway point in the season. Only two more months (plus?) of football left for the Local 22 and things are just now, as we predicted, starting to heat up.
Time for some midterm grades and awards. Remember, these are grades to this point. They say nothing about what's going to happen against the Browns. They are not predictions about what will happen in the second half of the season. They are midseason snapshots about what's transpired to this point. Nothing less, nothing more.
A reminder that each player is compared to the league average at their positions. There are no curves for experience, age, health or rough stretches. We don't give pity points or participation trophies. If the Patriots coaches have put said player on the field, they are considered healthy.
Rough grade outline:
A - NFL elite. Top 5-ish at your position in the league.
B - Good starter. Would be in demand by other teams if available.
C - Average starter/role player.
D - Below average.
F - Roster spot is in danger, now or in the future.
Award categories:
Most Surprising
Most Disappointing
Best Rookie
Worst Rookie
Best Defensive Player
Worst Defensive Player
Best Offensive Player
Worst Offensive Player
Most Valuable Player
Least Valuable Player
We'll go in descending amount of playing time on each side of the ball. You can do special teams on your own time.
OFFENSE
David Andrews, C, 100.00%: Has taken a slight step back in all areas this season. He already has 8.5 QB pressures, which is slightly high for him. Same with 5 stuffed runs allowed. Still the general and has been invaluable to a rookie QB. Have a feeling he's about to go on an upswing with the rush offense.
GRADE: B. Andrews is still a good starter in this league, even if he didn't get much attention as a free agent. More valuable here.
Mac Jones, QB, 96.99%: In my charting, he's had 57 plus plays and 52 minus — not bad at all for a rookie QB in this league. He's missed a few plays in every game and has started to get sped up a little bit. All of that is normal for a veteran pocket passer, let alone a rookie.
GRADE: C+. In the league, you'd probably put him about the middle. He doesn't shoot the Patriots out of games, has shown some ability to make plays when needed. Just needs more consistency and to be a bigger big-play threat.
Jakobi Meyers, WR, 88.29%: Largely reliable, although he drops more easy passes than you'd like, and a favorite of Mac Jones, but won't give you many big plays. It's feeling like the taxing nature of slot in this offense — they are asked to block a lot in the running game — is starting to take a physical toll.
GRADE: D+. Not sure how many other teams he would start for around the league, and not sure he should be one here.
Michael Onwenu, G, 83.11%: Got off to an imperfect start at LG this season, but seems much more comfortable at RT. A powerful run blocker to be sure, but his season has been a bit overrated considering the only difference between Isaiah Wynn and Onwenu is 5.5 QB pressures. That's not a ton.
GRADE: B. A good player who was probably a C- at LG and a B+ at RT. Where is he going to play moving forward?
Isaiah Wynn, T, 80.94%: The only person more scrutinized than Josh McDaniels every game (maybe Jones to TB12 Truthers) is Wynn. Wynn gets a lot of unfair heat but giving up less than two QB pressures per game is not bad. Will be interesting to see what the Patriots do with Wynn, if anything, once Trent Brown is ready for full games.
GRADE: C+. Patriots are probably kicking themselves for giving him the guaranteed fifth-year option, but that's the price of doing business.
Shaq Mason, G, 77.59%: So far, Mason has allowed zero sacks, a team-low 8 QB pressures, and just 4.5 stuffed runs. He's quietly having another very good season.
GRADE: A. Patriots are averaging 6.2 yards per rushing over RG, second in the league.
Nelson Agholor, WR, 75.08%: Averages a team-low 1.22 yards per route run and his receiver passer rating of 71.7 is also the lowest among the top four receivers. A lot of it is not his fault (Jones needs more time to throw to Agholor), but still...
GRADE: D+. One of the priorities in the second half has to be to get him more regularly involved.
(Adam Richins for BSJ)
Hunter Henry, TE, 69.57%: He's become a favorite of Jones, especially in the red zone and while his blocking has not been great, he's doing what he was paid to do.
GRADE: B. If he catches five more TDs in the second half, Patriots will be thrilled.
Ted Karras, C, 60.20%: Was just supposed to be a fill-in after the struggles at finding a Brown replacement, but his tough and sound play has him possibly being a starter for the rest of the season.
GRADE: C+. He's really solidified the line but he wouldn't exactly be sought-after around the league.
Justin Herron, T, 53.34%: Leads the team with 18 QB pressure and 8.5 QB hits. Disappointing he wasn't able to hold RT after Brown went down.
GRADE: D-. He was put on this roster to backup Brown. He failed at that.
Jonnu Smith, TE, 52.68%: Not sure you could draw up a worst first half of the season for Smith since he leads the team in stuffed runs allowed (10.5) and drops (six), including a pick-six. Time to turn the page.
GRADE: D. A very good athlete with limited instincts. Patriots have to find him a confidence boost.
Kendrick Bourne, WR, 51.84%: Has certainly had some rough spots, but he's done pretty much everything they've asked of him, including delivering the second-most big plays to Damien Harris. Would like to see him touch the ball more.
GRADE: C+. With no reinforcements on the way, could be a key player in second half.
Damien Harris, RB, 45.15%: Seems to get better with every game. Maybe this break will serve as a nice breather before the stretch run. His vision, cutbacks and acceleration have gone to another level.
GRADE: B+. He's not elite quite yet, but he seems to be getting closer to that level each week.
Brandon Bolden, RB, 27.42%: For his role on this team, he's certainly excelled. His feet and quickness have looked better in each game.
GRADE: C. For a reserve running back, he's done a very solid job.
Jakob Johnson, FB, 26.42%: Has allowed 2 QB pressures and 2.5 stuffed runs. Not bad, but hasn't been as effective as anticipated. He's plateaued.
GRADE: C-.
James Ferentz, C, 22.41%: Has his moments as a fill-in because he's smart and tough, but that's about it.
GRADE: F. His roster spot is danger in perpetuity.
N'Keal Harry, WR, 19.23%: Has made a few plays here and there, but he's largely the same player he's been throughout his three seasons. That should tell us something.
GRADE: D-. Jones could really use a physical boundary receiver to find on third downs who just bodies up. That's supposed to be Harry. This could be his last rodeo.
Yasir Durant, T, 13.71%: Yielded 4.5 QB pressure in a fraction of the playing time as anyone else. Late acquisition put him behind the 8-ball.
GRADE: F. Should be backup material with a whole offseason.
Yodny Cajuste, T, 13.21%: Flashed impressive athletic ability in his small sample of playing time. Given his injury history, he's like the Billy Madison of offensive lineman — he had to start school all over.
GRADE: F+. Patriots kept him for a reason and the talent is undeniable. Where will it go after this season?
Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, 12.37%: In and out of the doghouse, Stevenson has flashed some serious speed and toughness in spurts. Will be a player to watch in the second half.
GRADE: D+. Needs to stay on the field. Certainly the talent is there.
James White, RB, 10.54%: Shed a tear for Sweet Feet. We'll never Wheel Route the same way again.
GRADE: INC.
Gunner Olszewski, WR, 7.19%: Very good punt returner has yet to show much of anything as a receiver.
GRADE: D. This is for receiver only. He's like the new Tim Dwight, who never had more than 309 receiving yards.
J.J. Taylor, RB, 6.52%: In four games, Taylor has four catches for 8 yards. How is that even possible?
GRADE: F+. He's better than this and, without White, the Patriots need him to be better and a part of this offense.
Brian Hoyer, QB, 3.01%
GRADE: F+. Could be replaced by Jarrett Stidham.
Trent Brown, T, 1.17%: Talk about a disappointing incomplete. Hope he enjoyed his first half off.
GRADE: INC. His availability in the second half of the season could tell us a lot about this team's chances.
Kristian Wilkerson, WR, 0.67%: That was a hell of a double block for Stevenson last week.
GRADE: INC.
DEFENSE
Devin McCourty, FS, 91.99%: With no one else trustworthy to play the deep safety role on this team, he's been relegated there for the second year in a row, which limits his playmaking ability. Admitted he had a terrible game against Houston, which rarely happens to him.
GRADE: B-. He's still above average but it's not going the right way.
J.C. Jackson, CB, 88.15%: Has an many interceptions (5) as penalties, which are part of the deal. Not sure what people are waiting to see to declare him an elite corner. So what if he's not Revis? Not many are. He's damn close to that level.
GRADE: A-. If you think he's just good, just wait to see what he signs for should the Patriots allow him to become a free agent.
Matt Judon, LB, 85.48%: Hasn't been elite against the run and misses the occasional tackle, but the Patriots would be sinking if not for his 34.5 QB pressures and 8.5 sacks.
GRADE: A. The thing is, he's only scratching the surface of what he can do given reps in this defense. Hope he holds up. He's never been asked to do this much in his career.
Kyle Dugger, FS, 82.14%: Occasionally catches an INT, and occasionally makes a run stop by darting through. Other than that, sometimes it's hard to tell he's out there.
GRADE: C+. Feels a lot like Patrick Chung 1.0 with a much higher ceiling. If he ever gets to playing fast, he'll be dangerous. Not there yet.
Adrian Phillips, SS, 81.30%: Has ceded some of his playmaking duties to Dugger, to little benefit to the team, but there are few you'd rather have on a big play than Phillips. Just finds a way.
GRADE: B+. Seems like he has more in store for the second half.
Jalen Mills, CB, 79.63%: Considering he's not even playing the role the Patriots envisioned, Mills has done better than expected. But, as opposed to Phillips, he's not the guy you want in a big spot.
GRADE: C+. As No. 2 corners go, he's a little better than average. Certainly not a huge liability.
Kyle Van Noy, LB, 68.95%: That's a lot of playing time for 3 QB pressures, 4 pass breakups. That being said, he does seem to be looking like his old self of late.
GRADE: C. He's definitely lost some burst in the pass rush. We'll see if he can regain it.
Dont'a Hightower, LB, 61.44%: Not sure if he's still knocking off rust, but Hightower is very inconsistent at this point. He's either great, or a liability. Seems to be trending upward, however.
GRADE: B-.
Christian Barmore, DT, 56.09%: Consider that he has 25 QB pressures and the next-closest player has nine. He's so much better than Adam Butler it's not even funny. And people around here thought he was an all-star.
GRADE: B+: Tough to grade. As a sub rusher, he's already elite. As an every-down player, he still has a ways to go.
Deatrich Wise Jr., DE, 55.59%: Had half of his eight total QB pressures in the last game in mostly garbage time when he was a sub rusher (which should be his permanent role). Finally replaced at 3-4 DE in the base run defense.
GRADE: D+. It's not fair to him because the Patriots are playing him out of position on the line, but that's the deal.
Davon Godchaux, NT, 54.42%: Signed to play nose tackle in the base defense and stop the run, and he's already been replaced there by journeyman Carl Davis. There's still hope, but he seems undersized for this scheme.
GRADE: D. At $7.5 million annually, could be headed to being the team's most expensive role player.
Ja'Whaun Bentley, LB, 53.92%: In and out of the lineup with injuries, Bentley seems to have regained the promise he showed as a rookie.
GRADE: C+: What a difference having linemen who can actually take up blockers makes.
Lawrence Guy, DT, 45.91%: The big man got off to a very slow start this season but he now leads the team with 9.5 stuffed runs.
GRADE: B-. Starting to come on just in time for the stretch run.
Jonathan Jones, CB, 37.56%: Always a shame to lose a player this good to injury. Patriots could feel this loss more down the stretch, especially vs. Buffalo.
GRADE: B+. Hopefully he comes back stronger next season.
Josh Uche, LB, 32.05%: This man is third on the team with 9 QB pressures. Imagine what he could do with actual playing over, say, Van Noy.
GRADE: C+. One of these days, he's going to play a lot because of injuries and he's going to have a monster game.
Joejuan Williams, CB, 28.21%: Has graduated to making the occasional play, but he'll also give one back.
GRADE: D-. It is what it is at this point.
Carl Davis, NT, 25.71%: Got his big shot last week as the starting nose, and he delivered. Could be one of the key players down the stretch against the run.
GRADE: C+. Big man is tough to move.
Myles Bryant, CB, 24.37%: Is finally getting his shot to star on this defense and he's shining. Might be the toughest and smartest DBs, pound for pound, around here in a long time.
GRADE: C-. The more he plays, the faster he plays. Bryant played faster than Dugger last year.
Chase Winovich, DE, 13.02%: He's off IR and I'm not sure anyone will notice.
GRADE: D. Does this mean Uche is going to get even less playing time now? Hope not.
Jamie Collins, LB, 9.85%: Makes the occasional freak play, but the coaches don't trust him beyond that.
GRADE: C-. Will be interesting to see if he gets any matchup assignments.
AWARDS
Most Surprising: Christian Barmore.
We knew he was going to help with the pass rush, but not this much. He plays way smarter than most teams thought.
Most Disappointing: Jonnu Smith.
He was signed first and was supposed to be a playmaker. Hasn't been seen yet.
Best Rookie: Mac Jones.
Barmore has been really good, but QB in this offense much tougher. He's done very well to this point.
Worst Rookie: Will Sherman, 6th round guard.
Not only was he an easy cut, but James Ferentz is active over him.
Best Defensive Player: Matt Judon.
If you watch the games, you know.
Worst Defensive Player: Davon Godchaux.
Considering what he's being paid, that puts him over the top.
Best Offensive Player: Damien Harris.
He's become so consistent and good. Hopefully this injury is temporary.
Worst Offensive Player: James Ferentz.
He knows the system, that's why he fills in.
Least Valuable Player: Jahlani Tavai.
Is he only here because Matt Patricia had him in Detroit?
Most Valuable Player: JC Jackson.
Could easily go Judon, but let's spread it around a little. With no Gilmore or Jones, the Patriots would be screwed without Jackson.