Patriots Rumors: OC Bill O'Brien Won't Tolerate 'Bad Plays' by WRs

New England Patriots wide receivers are going to be under a significant amount of pressure in 2023.

New Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien will not tolerate "bad plays" from the team's wide receivers this coming season, a team source told NFL insider Mike Giardi. If they struggle, they'll "be standing next to him, watching," the source said.

The Patriots enter 2023 with a retooled wide receiver unit following the departure of Jakobi Meyers to the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency.

New England signed JuJu Smith-Schuster to a three-year, $33 million deal this offseason and also selected LSU wide receiver Kayshon Boutte in the sixth round of the 2023 draft. They'll join a unit that includes DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne and Tyquan Thornton.

Aside from the receivers, a lot of pressure will be placed on quarterback Mac Jones to bounce back from a disappointing 2022 season that saw him take a step backward from his rookie year.

Some of Jones' ability to bounce back will depend on his ability to make connections with his receivers, and he doesn't need those players dropping passes when he puts the ball on a dime down the sideline.