Just because you have numbers at a position doesn’t mean you have a plethora of players at the position. The Patriots have about 57 wide receivers on their roster this summer but is that because they’re all legit NFLers? Or because the team is hoping a couple will emerge from this mass of humanity to play role on the defending AFC champs?
Through spring workouts and the early days of camp, it certainly seems as if the Pats have their Google search engine in overdrive, subtracting and adding players on the daily. Sure, most of these late additions are more than likely camp bodies but with the uneven performances of more established wideouts inked to short term deals, it’s clear Bill Belichick wants to see more from those stopgap signings.
Brandin Cooks and his 65 catches, nearly 1100 yards and 7 receiving touchdowns are gone, traded to the LA Rams for a first round pick (Isaiah Wynn). Danny Amendola took his 61 grabs and his big game genes to South Beach and division rival Miami. With Julian Edelman coming off an ACL tear that forced him to miss the entire season and now a 4-game suspension for a PED violation, Tom Brady is left with Chris Hogan and then a bunch of question marks at that position.
Phillip Dorsett appears to have the inside track on the number three receiver once Edelman returns but despite the first round reputation, hasn’t proved to be a consistent force in his three NFL seasons.
Kenny Britt is just a year removed from a thousand-yard campaign with the Rams. The Pats are high on his talent and with his size (6’3”, 230 lbs), he’s certainly a different body type than anyone else on the roster. He’s yet to practice here in training camp as he recovers from a hamstring injury suffered during mandatory mini-camp back in early June. Britt has long been known as a come-and-go player, meaning he flashes greatness but then disappears. That wouldn’t seem to be a trait embraced by the quarterback, Tom Brady.
There was hope for Malcolm Mitchell after his solid rookie season in 2016 but after missing all of last year with a knee injury, rumors have swirled around both Mitchell’s health and if the Pats are trying to trade him. Like Britt, Mitchell has yet to practice with his teammates this summer, although he has spent the last two days on the lower field with teammates in various states of rehab.
The Pats seemed to have made a shrewd veteran signing this offseason, inking Jordan Matthews to a one-year deal but the former 65-catch guy in Philadelphia has been inconsistent throughout the spring and early summer. Perhaps he’s shaking off the rust after three separate surgeries last year but to this point he just hasn’t looked quick enough. In fact, another acquisition, Cordarelle Patterson, who’s teased everyone with his skillset but has never been a good receiver, has actually looked competent and, once twice, spectacular as a pass catcher thus far. Might Belichick have the key to unlock his potential?
New England Patriots
After that, you can throw Riley McCarron, 7th rounder Braxton Berrios, Paul Turner, and Devin Lucien into the blender and not know what flavor you’re mixing up. I certainly am intrigued by Berrios based on his collegiate career but we’ve seen nothing yet that screams NFL-ready at this point (again, it’s early…). In fact, a ridicously early roster guess would have Hogan, Dorsett, Britt, Patterson and Matt Slater as making the squad. The rest? Practice squad or on the unemployment line.