I think for me I would acknowledge Mac has a below average supporting cast but I am more concerned about the offensive coaching and the OL coaching. If they had a better line and an elite pass catcher at TE or WR this unit could easily be top 10 worthy because they have a lot of quality depth. If say D. Adams was your best receiver and you added him to Meyers, Parker, Thornton, Agholor, and Bourne that is a smashing WR room. Now you can really min-max what guys are good at. Or even next year if the room was like D. Adams with Meyers, Parker, Bourne and Thornton and without Nelson you could get excited about that room. The TEs are meh but with the RBs as long as they fixed the OL that is a good unit on paper. A lot of smarter people than me like Kurt Warner, JTO, Lazar, The Athletic, have commented on the scheme and offensive coaching being an issue. Let's see how the rest of the year plays out. It's Matty P's first shot doing this.
With Mac my priority would still be building the line first. I think with adequate protection he can produce with this cast. My concern is that they might need to start to think about replacing Andrews because he's been hurt and is getting up there as well as hasn't looked like himself physically this year. There is no guarantee Strange gets better but I think he will. Brown is always an injury risk and he has been sloppy and inconsistent this year. They need a RT. So like the entire line minus Onwenu has question marks around them. You can live with Andrews and Strange as starters but you need to replace 1-2 OTs and you need a better backup C than Ferentz. I love Ferentz but at this point you should be looking for your center of the future and keep Ferentz on the PS or as OL8-9. Ferentz is ok plywood on the interior for a game or two. You really don't want him starting more than that. There's a lot more work to do rebuilding OT depth too. So while they could really use a #1 kind of pass catching option to me if they don't invest a considerable amount of resources in the line it's all for naught.
The bolded is what I've been trying to say all along. People want/expect this offense to be top 10 right now, but Mac doesn't have the guys to turn this offense into a top 10 offense, either at the skill positions or on the offensive line.
If the Pats had Adams, and Mac was still out there putting up the same numbers, I'd be the first one in here ready to write him off. Shit, if they had an adequate offensive line and a clone of Jakobi Meyers instead of Adams, I'd expect top 12-14 from the unit. But they don't, and folks are ready to deal Mac, and start looking for help in the draft again. Help in the draft doesn't matter if you don't surround your young QB with some talent.
Josh Allen in his 2nd year completed 58.8%, threw for less than 200ypg and had a rating of 85.7. I would argue he had a supporting cast in that season that is equivalent to Mac's this year with John Brown (who went for 72, 1,060 and 6tds), Beasley, McKenzie, Gore and Singletary, with Dawson Knox.
In year 3 (next year for Mac), they went out and got Diggs, which changed everything. Diggs goes and catches 127 passes, but on the other side, Beasley becomes a slot monster catching 82 for almost 1,000 yards. John Brown becomes the #3 option and Gabe Davis all of a sudden is running free for 17.1ypc and 7td's.
Now, even with Diggs, I don't think Mac goes out and matches Josh Allen's year 3 numbers, 4,500, 37tds, 107 rating, but that's how big the "leap" is to an offense in today's game.
Jalen Hurts, in year 2 last year, completed 61% of his passes, only had 16td's (9 picks), 87.2 rating. His best receiver was a rookie in Smith, with the formidable Quez Watkins on other side. Ertz got hurt, and Goedert stepped in and played well.
In year 3, they go and get him AJ Brown. and he's completing 67.3% of his passes, he's got 17td's to 3ints, his yardage total is up 30ypg (through the air) and his rating is 105.6. Brown is obviously a monster, but more importantly, it moved Smith to the #2, where's thriving (and leading the team in receptions). It opened up the middle of the field for Goedert, who was on pace for 80 catches and 1,000 yards before he got hurt and completely fucked my fantasy team, but I digress, and they have weapons all over the field for the red zone, because Brown draws so much attention.
That's all I'm asking. Let's give Mac a guy like the Eagles and Bills did for their young QB's before we decide to rebuild for another 3 years. And that doesn't mean going out and bringing in a guy like Parker for short money or an old Agholor whose only real skill ever was speed. Unfortunately, I just don't think Bill is the guy to make that move, or if he does try to go get someone, he'll mess it up. He tried and failed with N'Keal Harry and so many others over the years, and now he seems to want some bargain basement deals that he thinks he can turn into stars, which he can do with defensive guys in his sleep. And then he compounded that by giving Mac almost no help at coordinator.
And it's going to be blowing again tonight in Foxboro, so folks shouldn't be surprised if Mac is playing the same kind of game he played against the Jets a couple weeks ago.