There’s no question the New England Patriots’ roster is much better today than it was on the final day of the 2024 regular season.

In that time, the Patriots have acquired defensive tackle Milton Williams, cornerback Carlton Davis, linebacker Harold Landry, linebacker Robert Spillane, right tackle Morgan Moses and several other quality players in free agency.

These are meaningful upgrades, particularly on defense.

It’s a strong step in the right direction, and it’s enough to get many people excited about the Patriots potentially winning more than four games next season — something they haven’t done since 2022.

One person who is riding the Patriots hype train is Colin Cowherd. The FOX Sports 1 personality revealed his 2025 NFL predictions on his show, The Herd with Colin Cowherd, last Friday. One prediction that stood out was the Patriots making the playoffs as a wild card team that finishes second in the AFC East division.

“The Patriots (are) one of my surprise teams in the league,” Cowherd said. “I think they have the second-most talented quarterback in the division, and I don’t think it’s particularly close, in Drake Maye. They’ve got to get him weapons in the draft, but it’s a very good tight end, running back draft.

“They upgraded with Mike Vrabel at (head) coach from Jerod Mayo, who just didn’t work. They spent a lot of money. This is going to be a different team. I think they will double their win total, no question.”

It’s one thing to predict the Patriots will be a better team next season. It would be pretty surprising if that wasn’t the case considering the roster and coaching upgrades made in the offseason. But predicting a playoff appearance is another level of boldness.

That said, it’s not totally inconceivable. The defense should be much improved. And if Drake Maye is the real deal and makes a Year 2 leap in his development as a franchise quarterback, the Patriots could absolutely be in the wild card mix late in the season.

The key for the Patriots in the short term is, as Cowherd alluded to, surrounding Maye with more talent on offense. They still don’t have a legit No. 1 wide receiver, and the offensive line is still a lackluster group with huge question marks at left tackle and center.

With the initial wave of free agency over, the most effective way for the Patriots to make upgrades is through the 2025 NFL Draft.

They have four picks in the top 80, including the No. 4 overall selection in the first round. They should be able to get a starting left tackle (Will Campbell) or talented wide receiver (Travis Hunter, Tetairoa McMillan) with that first-round pick.

The Patriots have made only one playoff appearance (2021) since Tom Brady left the franchise in 2020. With a couple more roster upgrades, important football in January could be coming back to New England fairly soon.