Locks: Kendrick Bourne (PUP/IR Candidate), DeMario Douglas, Ja’Lynn Polk, Javon Baker
In the Mix: Kawaan Baker, David Wallis (UDFA)
There are several layers to unpack while setting the table for a competitive summer at wide receiver in New England.
First, there's a big-picture discussion about the absence of a true "WR1" in New England's offensive hierarchy. Whether you buy into the WR1 philosophy or not, head coach Jerod Mayo and EVP of player personnel Eliot Wolf have acknowledged their desire to add a "coverage dictating" receiver. The Patriots don't currently have a receiver that forces opponents to game plan for them, such as a Justin Jefferson or Tyreek Hill-type, who keep defensive coordinators up at night, as they say.
As you've heard numerous times before on Patriots.com radio, lacking a bona fide number-one receiver has made the Pats offense "easy to defend" in recent years. Unfortunately, the team's attempt to address the need in free agency fell short when the Patriots couldn't close the deal with veteran receiver Calvin Ridley. Striking out on Ridley, for the time being, has left the Patriots in a familiar spot in terms of their receiver talent.
Out of 153 qualified pass-catchers last season, here were the Patriots overall rankings in ESPN's receiver efficiency metric: KJ Osborn (98th), DeMario Douglas (133rd), and JuJu Smith-Schuster (145th). The lone exception is Kendrick Bourne, who impressively ranked 15th in ESPN's tracking data. However, Bourne's season was cut short due to a torn ACL last October. His status moving forward is a major storyline this summer.
As the metrics suggest, the Patriots need Bourne on the field. Whether or not he's a full-go to start the year will also determine how many open roster spots New England will have at the position. If Bourne misses the first four games on injured reserve or the reserve/PUP list, it opens the door for the Pats to protect another receiver.
Although ESPN's model doesn't back it up, the metrics seem to underrate Douglas, who, along with Bourne, is a source of optimism among the holdovers from last season. The second-year wideout will need to prove that his 180-pound frame can hold up for 17 games, but "Pop" was the team's most dynamic playmaker in 2023. Douglas is coming off a year where he had the most receiving yards for a Pats rookie since Terry Glenn in 1996, setting a Belichick-era high with 561 yards. Douglas's ability to separate from man coverage led to him seeing some extra attention by season's end, while he's also a big-play threat as a ball carrier.
The other positive development that could raise the Patriots offense's ceiling is rookie receivers Ja'Lynn Polk (No. 37 overall) and Javon Baker (No. 110). After missing out on Ridley, Wolf double-dipped on two receivers who could emerge as immediate contributors.
Polk came on strong toward the end of the spring, profiling as a possession receiver in a similar mold as former Pats wideout Jakobi Meyers, while Baker's 21.9 yards per catch average will hopefully translate to the NFL. Between the two, you have a chain-mover and an explosive big-play receiver, offering some optimism that the Patriots found two difference-making pass-catchers to add to Drake Maye's (or Jacoby Brissett's) supporting cast. Time will tell if the Patriots finally hit on a receiver or two in the draft, but the early returns are positive.
With Bourne, Douglas, and the two rookies as locks, the third puzzle piece is the roster battle for the at-large spots. First, the team must decide on Smith-Schuster's future in New England. The three-year contract the Patriots gave the former Chiefs and Steelers receiver last offseason has been a disaster so far, and Smith-Schuster's burst remained subpar in the spring. JuJu has a $10.3 million cap charge this season, while he'll cost an extra $2 million to cut him ($12.3M dead cap).
At this stage, it isn't easy to envision a scenario where Smith-Schuster is among the top six receivers on the roster. Therefore, keeping him would almost exclusively be about money. Osborn also has guaranteed money on his deal, while second-year WR Kayshon Boutte had a few strong showings in the spring. Those two play a similar style to Smith-Schuster.
There will also be a camp battle among the outside receivers between former second-rounder Tyquan Thornton and Jalen Reagor. Thornton had a nice start to the spring but missed the final minicamp practice and has looked good in non-contact sessions in the past. Thornton sputters out or gets injured in live contact settings, making it difficult to buy into a year-three breakout.
Reagor, on the other hand, is unlikely to be a high-impact receiver. However, he also brings a field-stretching element, while Reagor is a valuable return man. If it comes down to Thornton versus Reagor as the speed receivers on the outside, Reagor's ability to contribute on special teams creates a clearer path to the roster.
Wide receiver will undoubtedly be one of the most talked-about position battles of the summer, with roster decisions coming down to the wire. As we mentioned, the overarching question is whether the Patriots have the high-end receiver talent to be competitive. On paper, most view New England's wide receiver room as one of the worst in the NFL.
However, the additions from the last two draft classes offer some upside that could see this group outperform expectations.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
