The New England Patriots are retaining some depth within their receiver room by re-signing wideout Jalen Reagor to a one year deal, per BleacherReport, amid an evening of free agency frenzy.
Reagor first arrived in New England by signing with the Patriots practice squad last Sept. He was promoted to the 53-man roster in October. The 25-year-old appeared in 11 games for the Pats (making one start) while compiling 138 yards on seven catches. While his stat sheet may not catch many additional eyes, Reagor did show flashes of potential both as a pass catcher and returner last season.
Despite being a collegiate standout for the Horned Frogs — where he was selected as Offensive Freshman of the Year (2017) and a two-time second team All Big-12 (2018 and 2019) — Reagor has yet to truly reach his full potential as a pro. After spending his first two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles (by whom he was drafted No. 21 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft) Reagor played for the Minnesota Vikings in 2022. Through 45 total career appearances before arriving in New England, the TCU product caught 72 passes for 799 yards and four touchdowns.
While Reagor is likely to remain a work-in-progress with New England, there is a potential wealth of untapped talent to be unearthed within him. Having run the 40-yard dash in 4.47 as a Draft prospect, he has been utilized in the backfield, as well as in jet motion. Throughout his career, he has rushed for 100 yards through 19 carries.Though offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt is partial to an offense, predicated on intermediate completions designed to bring yards after the catch, he is also well-versed in utilizing pass-catchers with Reagor's brand of vertical speed.
The Pats may also continue to deploy Reagor as an option in the return game. As a member of the Eagles, he averaged 21.3 yards-per-return (YPR), while yielding a mean of 9.2 YPR on punts in two seasons. Last year with the Patriots, he returned seven kicks for 228 yards — one of which was returned for a 98-yard touchdown on the opening kickoff of their Week 17 matchup with the Buffalo Bills.
Reagor’s previous career-best came during his rookie season when he returned a punt for a 73-yard touchdown against the Green Bay Packers in Week 13.
More must-reads: