You realize that the Pats' have a current Director of Player Personnel and that since that position is subordinate to the GM, Belichick, nothing is done without his okay. Nothing is really different now than before.
Actually, I don't have any insight into the inner workings between the DPP and the GM on the Patriots, nor am I pretending that I do. If Bill the GM is overly micromanaging the DPP, then that is probably not the best thing, any more than it would be if the GM was micromanaging the Coach.
Is it impossible to imagine that Bill, during the season, meets with the DPP once a week and says for example "keep and eye out for a tackle that may get released and let me know if one comes available? In the meantime, the DPP is managing the day to day scouting and other personnel related activities based on general strategic guidance from Bill, while Bill is focused on the game plan for the next game.
You describe it as if the DPP is just sitting around waiting for Bill to tell him what to do. That he doesn't do anything unless he is told by Bill to do it. I doubt very much that is how it works. I suspect that in the best organizations, no matter the org chart, that you get the best results with the Coach/GM/DPP all work well together. Teams with the traditional GM-Coach relationship make bad trades, signings, draft picks all the time. And make good deals too. The Patriots have made good and bad deals along the way and also won more super bowls than any other team in the last 20 years.
Maybe Bill has gotten old and now can't do the dual role as well as he could in the past. Maybe he doesn't have enough good people around him as in the past. It could be a lot of things. But to categorically declare that it can't work is simply not supported by what has happened in the last 20 years (and please don't come back with it worked because of Tom Brady).