New England added more depth at wide receiver Friday with the signing of Bert Emanuel.
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A seven-year veteran, Emanuel played most recently with the Miami Dolphins, for whom he had seven catches for 132 yards and one touchdown in 11 games in 2000. The touchdown came on a 53-yard touchdown against New England in Week Four. The score was the margin of victory in the Dolphins' 10-3 win.
Emanuel had his best seasons while with the Atlanta Falcons from 1994-97. Over that four-year stretch he had 260 catches and 24 touchdowns. For his career he has 330 catches and 28 touchdowns in 95 games.
New England needs a third receiver to step up and take the load off Terry Glenn and Troy Brown. For his career, Emanuel has averaged 14 yards per catch, which may help stretch defenses out, something the Patriots offense needs. In 2000, Glenn averaged 12.2 yards per catch while Brown averaged 11.4 yards.
