Patriots WR Lands Dubious Take With Roster Spot in Jeopardy

The New England Patriots have paid special attention to the wide receiver position this offseason, landing a couple of veterans in Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins on the free-agent market and then selecting Kyle Williams in the third round of the NFL Draft.

Now, the Patriots' receiving corps — which was a glaring problem last year — is suddenly pretty crowded, as multiple wide outs will be fighting for the last couple of slots on the depth chart.

One player whose roster spot is in obvious jeopardy is Ja'Lynn Polk, whom New England nabbed in Round 2 of the draft last April.

While Bernd Buchmasser and Taylor Kyles of Pats Pulpit have called a potential release of Polk "highly unlikely," they also seem to be 50-50 on whether or not he makes the Patriots' 53-man roster.

"Realistically, there are only two scenarios: he either makes the team as a rotational member of the wide receiver room, or he gets traded no later than the cutdown deadline," they wrote. "Both options seem similarly likely at the moment and considering the composition of New England’s wide receiver depth chart — especially if he fails to overcome the issues that plagued him last year."

Polk logged just 12 catches for 87 yards and a touchdown in 2024, making him one of the bigger disappointments in Foxborough this past season.

On the bright side, the 23-year-old was a force during his collegiate days at Washington, having hauled in 69 receptions for 1,159 yards and nine touchdowns during his final season with the Huskies in 2023. And keep in mind: that came as the team's No. 2 receiver behind Rome Odunze.

The problem is that patience could be running thin in New England, especially with fellow young receivers like DeMario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte seeming guaranteed to make the roster (barring a trade, of course).

Polk also has very minimal trade value, so it will be interesting to see how the Pats approach this situation.