Why Josh McDaniels is a solid fit for Patriots at offensive coordinator
FOXBORO --Mike Vrabel is reportedly set to hire Josh McDaniels as a team's offensive coordinator, making one of his biggest decisions as New England's new head coach. This is much more than just a happy reunion in New England.
While this will be his third stint with the Patriots, don't look at McDaniels simply as a retread or a way for New England to mesh the old with the new. And don't fret about his two failed runs as an NFL head coach.
McDaniels is back because he's shown throughout his career that he's an excellent offensive coordinator with a knack for helping young quarterbacks. With the development of Drake Maye the most important goal for New England over the next several years, McDaniels is a great fit for Vrabel and the Patriots.
Josh McDaniels as an offensive coordinator
McDaniels started his coaching career with the Patriots in 2001 and was New England's offensive coordinator from 2006 to 2008 and 2012 to 2021 under Bill Belichick. With Tom Brady at quarterback, McDaniels and the Patriots had a prolific offense for the majority of his career.
Brady certainly had a huge hand in McDaniels' success as an offensive coordinator, but McDaniels had positive results with other quarterbacks in New England too -- just not Super Bowl-winning success. He's shown an ability to adapt to the team's quarterback, which bodes well for his future with the electric and multi-talented Maye.
When Brady was lost for the 2008 season in Week 1, McDaniels got the most out of backup Matt Cassel, who hadn't started a game since high school. Cassel completed 63.4 percent of his passes for nearly 3,700 yards and 21 touchdowns, and the Patriots went 10-5 with him as the starter. The Patriots had the eighth-highest scoring offense in the NFL that season.
When Brady was suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season, the Patriots went 3-1 with Jimmy Garoppolo and a rookie Jacoby Brissett leading the way at quarterback. McDaniels got Brady ready throughout the preseason, and then adapted the plan for Week 1 with Garoppolo. He had to adapt again in Week 2 in Miami when Garoppolo went down with an injury and Brissett was thrust into the role. McDaniels and the Patriots had just a few days to get Brissett ready for his first career start, a Thursday Night Football matchup with the Houston Texans in Week 3. The Patriots went run-heavy that night with 49 rushing attempts (including eight by Brissett for 48 yards and a touchdown) and New England won, 27-0.
In 2020, the first year of the post-Brady era in New England, McDaniels morphed his system to fit Cam Newton, who was a shell of his former self at that time. The end results weren't great and the offense suffered from a lack of playmakers in the receiving corps, but McDaniels got some strong weeks out of Newton before things went off the rails. There was still some hope late in the season with the team sitting at 6-6, but New England finished the year at 7-9.
But then McDaniels got his hands on first-round pick Mac Jones and helped the quarterback deliver an impressive rookie season. Jones spent much of the year with training wheels on, but he completed 68 percent of his passes for 3,801 yards and the Patriots were back in the playoffs after a 10-7 season. The New England offense scored the sixth-highest points in the league that year.
Everything went sideways for Jones and the Patriots offense when McDaniels departed for Las Vegas. Now the 48-year-old is returning to the Patriots, and will look to jumpstart the offense and unlock Maye's full potential in 2025.
What does Josh McDaniels mean for Drake Maye?
While Maye had a promising rookie season under Alex Van Pelt, the New England offense was a massive disappointment in 2024. Brissett and Maye were forced to play behind one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL and throw to one of the worst receiving corps in the NFL. The roster should be much better in 2025 (as long as the team adds a few tackles, a couple of talented receivers, and another running back -- easy peasy) and McDaniels is going to put Maye in the best position to succeed. Unlike Van Pelt last year, McDaniels has tons of experience as a play-caller, and will be able to help Vrabel fix the current mess.
While McDaniels has mostly run an offense based on gap schemes, he will adapt to Maye's game. And while McDaniels will be the fourth offensive coordinator that Maye will work with over a four-year stretch going back to his college days at UNC, McDaniels is going to be in New England for the foreseeable future.
Hiring a young offensive mind from the Sean McVay or Kevin O'Connell tree would have been a welcome move by New England, but those are the kinds of guys who leave after a season or two for a head-coaching gig. With two strikes as a head coach, McDaniels is not a flight risk for the Patriots.
Maye should finally be able to enjoy some continuity at OC, and McDaniels will tailor his approach to whatever best fits Maye.
Finding an offensive coordinator was one of the most important tasks for Vrabel this offseason. In McDaniels, he's bringing in an experienced play-caller with a history of helping young quarterbacks, which bodes extremely well for Maye and the New England offense.
