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The New England Patriots received a lot of criticism last season and going into this offseason for the lack of wide receivers and playmakers on their roster. Now that the offseason is mostly over and it is time for OTAs, they may be in the exact opposite position. The Patriots have too many receivers on the roster, and once the 90-man roster gets cut down to 53, there are going to be a lot of tough decisions that the Patriots are going to have to make.
The Patriots have six returning receivers from last season. Kayshon Boutte, Demario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne, Ja'Lynn Polk, Javon Baker, and John Jiles are all returning to New England. The Patriots also drafted Kyle Williams and signed Stefon Diggs, Mack Hollins, Efton Chism III, Demeer Blankumsee, and Jeremiah Webb. That is 12 receivers fighting for a roster spot, and the average team keeps about six, maybe seven at the most.
That means OTAs, training camp, and preseason are going to be extremely intense and important for all receivers who want to stay in New England. Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins were signed in free agency, so they are very likely to make the roster. Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte were two of the top receivers for the Patriots last year, so they also have a really good chance of making the roster. Third-round pick Kyle Williams is also pretty much a lock to make the roster as they Patriots spent a third round pick on him, and there are reports he is already showing out in training camp.
That is five receivers that look like they have a spot ready for them, so that leaves one, maybe two spots for the rest of the guys to compete for and the competition is already ramping up. Also, the guys mentioned above are most likely to make the team, but in the NFL, nothing is given or guaranteed so they have to make sure that they are continuously proving why they deserve their roster spots.
Ja'Lynn Polk was a second-round pick from last year who had a very disappointing rookie year, only hauling in 12 catches for 87 yards and two touchdowns. Head coach Mike Vrabel has said he wants to work with Polk and help him have a much better second season. This would make him seem like a lock to make the final roster, but with all the talent on the team right now, he is going to have to show out this offseason to secure his spot on the team.
If he doesn't, there are tons of people who also want that spot, like Javon Baker, who was a fourth pick last year as well. He had a lot of confidence and hype, but after a rough training camp and preseason, he ended up not seeing the field too often. He had just four targets last season, and he caught one of them for 12 yards. Although another disappointing rookie receiver season, Baker does not want to let that define him.
It was reported that Baker was getting in a lot of work in the offseason to get ready to compete and make the roster again this year, and it is already showing. There have been multiple reports that Baker is already having a great start to OTAs, and he has had the best catch of OTAs so far. Baker beat Patriots star cornerback Christian Gonzalez on a deep ball and was able to reel it in.
Those two young guys seem like they have a chance to make the roster but there is also a veteran that is looking to grab that lost spot as well. Kendrick Bourne, who has spent the last four seasons with the Patriots, seems to be in jeopardy of getting cut from the team. He had a great first season with the Patriots, but since then has dealt with injury and inconsistency issues.
With all the young talent on the team he may end up being the odd man out and the Patriots may want to go with the younger and higher ceiling players, however with his talent and skill with a good training camp he could easily end up on the roster again.
For the three UDFAs, Chism, Blankumsee, and Webb, it may seem like there is no chance for them to make the team, but that is not the case. Efton Chism III especially has been a name that has begun to make some noise in OTAs so far. Chism was reported to be heavily involved and stood out amongst the backups. He caught multiple passes from backup quarterback Josh Dobbs and had a team-high five catches. He was also returning kicks in the special-teams portion.
There has not been as much noise from Blankumsee and Webb, but OTAs have just begun, and there is still training camp and the preseason. There is a lot of time for these guys to make a name for themselves and show that they are meant to be on the roster.
This competition may be stressful for the receivers as they all want to have a spot on the team come the start of the season, but there is also a lot of benefit from this competition. The competition is making the receivers better and play at the highest level, all the receivers are going to benefit from the competition whether they make the team or not because it is going to bring out the best in all of them. Patriots third-year receiver Demario Douglas took note of this as well.
The receivers are embracing the competition, and that is exactly what you want to see from the team's young receiving group. None of them are going to give up or go out without a fight; some may even end up making the practice squad and could eventually get their chance at some point during the season. Regardless, it is going to be very exciting to see who edges out the competition and snags the final spot or two left. The Patriots' receiving room is going to be a lot better than last year, and second-year quarterback Drake Maye is going to finally have some help around him.
More must-reads:
- Jordan Love's thumb surgery comes at inopportune time for Packers
- Jon Gruden 'looking forward to having the truth come out' amid lawsuit against NFL
- The 'NFL single-season reception leaders' quiz
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