Now that we're through the initial free-agent surge, we know the Patriots could play a game tomorrow. We just don't know how competitive they would be if that were to be the case.
Just look at a handful of the game's premium positions. You'll find plenty of question marks.
They could use a high-quality tackle to sit atop the depth chart, despite the addition of veteran Riley Reiff. They could use a high-quality boundary cornerback, despite keeping Jalen Mills around on an altered contract. They could use a high-quality athlete at receiver, despite signing a powerful slot option in JuJu Smith-Schuster.