The Patriots have struggled in a myriad of ways this season on the field, but a three-time Super Bowl champion pinpointed where things are also going wrong.

Devin McCourty, appearing on MassLive’s “Eye On Foxborough” podcast, told Karen Guregian that after New England lost David Andrews and Ja’Whaun Bentley — two vocal leaders — for the season, they were never really replaced insider the locker room.

“I look at this team, and I mean no disrespect to anybody in that locker room, I don’t see the guys that are going to say, ‘This is how we get better. This is what we need to do,’” McCourty said. “And I think that has to be the key for the Patriots going forward as they build around Drake Maye. They got to identify some guys that are going to be not just leaders, but like vocal leaders, guys that can rally guys and do that, because I think that’s more important than how good a guy is.

“And I like you’re starting to try to build for the future. You need guys that just have that edge about them that other guys look at them and say, ‘I want to follow him,’” he continued. “And I think that’s where they’ve struggled this year, to have guys say, ‘I want to follow them.’ Right now it’s all dependent on Jerod, it’s all dependent on the first-year head coach to get every single thing right for this team to move in that direction. And it’s really hard to do.”

Earlier this season, Bentley took it upon himself to address the team after a 1-6 start. Despite not even being on the field due to a season-ending injury, spoke about a slew of things including how the Patriots can better themselves off the field.

“We just have to hold each other accountable. That’s kind of what Bentley was doing – addressing the elephant in the room,” Kendrick Bourne told MassLive of Bentley’s message. “’Bro, just be careful.’ You can speak how you feel. I’m mad we’re 1-6. I hate it. But you’re not going to see Kendrick Bourne go out there and not dance. I’m going to dance. That’s who I am. My frustration is not changing who I am. I’m not going to fake being mad That’s not who I am.

The Patriots will miss the playoffs for a third straight season and finish 2024 with a losing record under first-year coach Jerod Mayo. While it will be no easy task — New England plays the Buffalo Bills twice over its final stretch of games — the Patriots can still end on a positive note.

There’s plenty to be optimistic about when it comes to the future including Drake Maye and Christian Gonzalez, but as McCourty noted, there needs to be some players who take a step as a vocal leader in order to help the team rally behind them.