Which Receivers Will The New England Patriots Keep?
By Matt LaPan
Decisions. Decisions. The reigning AFC East champions have are looking to bolster their wide receivers corps. But who stays and who goes over the next few months?
The New England Patriots have been one of the least wide receiver reliant teams in the NFL in recent years. Outside of Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola, there has been limited receivers who have had a chance to be the feature of the offense. Even when Brandon LaFell had a good season in 2014, he was still not the feature of the offense.
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With both Edelman and Amendola recovering from offseason surgeries, this could be the chance for another receiver to become a focal point in the high-powered offense.
Including Edelman and Amendola, there are 11 wide receivers on the Patriots roster. DeAndre Carter, Aaron Dobson, Chris Harper, Chris Hogan, Devin Lucien, Keshawn Martin, Malcolm Mitchell, Matthew Slater and Nate Washington join Edelman and Amendola as the options for Tom Brady.
With Edelman, Amendola and Slater all but guaranteed a roster spot, the remaining eight players are fighting for two to three roster spots. The Patriots generally carry six receivers on their active roster, but 2016 will be different as they will be carrying three quarterbacks, something they generally do not do.
The next player that is nearly guaranteed a roster spot is Chris Hogan. Hogan was brought in as a restricted free agent from the Buffalo Bills on a three-year deal worth $12-million. While that contract does not seem restricting if the Patriots wanted to move on, Hogan’s salary cap hit is $5.5-million in 2016 (via PatsCap.com) – a number that would be very difficult to move on from.
Hogan has been a reliable receiver throughout his career, playing in all 16 games each of the past three seasons. While he has not produced eye-popping numbers, he has always been a problem for the Patriots. He can play inside for depth, and has the size to play on the outside. He is a projection player who could be quite productive for the Patriots, but he will have to show he can take that next step in an offense that requires players to command the ball or be forgotten.
The remaining roster spots will likely come down to the returning Keshawn Martin and rookies Malcolm Mitchell and Devin Lucien. That would leave Carter, Dobson, Harper and Washington off the roster with Dobson being the most notable and potentially surprising. Dobson played in just 24 games in his three-year career after being selected in the 2nd Round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He has not caught a touchdown since his rookie season, and might finally be out of chances in New England.
Of the remaining three, the upper hand is with Mitchell. The Patriots selected Mitchell in the 4th round of the 2016 NFL Draft out of Georgia. He is a threat both inside and outside, running crisp routes and flashing extremely reliable hands. He has great speed, but has suffered through multiple knee injuries that have slowed him down a bit. Mitchell has also showed that he is willing to put in the work to learn his playbook, reportedly being the only rookie invitee (via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk) to skip the NFLPA Rookie Premier to stay home and study his playbook. Mitchell is also a returner, giving him a great chance to impress and make the roster.
The incumbent of the group is Martin. He was acquired in a trade with the Houston Texans during the 2015 season, but never really blossomed during his time as he learned the playbook. He does have a head start thanks to time in the playbook and time working with Brady. He has the speed, but sometimes his hands and routes can be a bit off. He still has a good chance to make the roster, but will have to fight for it.
The reason Martin will have to fight is the Patriots’ seventh-round draft pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Devin Lucien. The dark horse to make the roster was a productive college player with very good size. His 6-2 frame makes him a prime candidate to be the outside threat that the Patriots are missing. He can make plays on the boundary and is not afraid to go over the middle. He will have to earn the trust of Tom Brady, but could be the player to unseat Martin and make the roster.
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The Patriots might not be the most wide receiver reliant team in the league, but with a group of Edelman, Amendola, Hogan, Mitchell, Lucien and Slater going into 2016, Tom Brady and/or Jimmy Garoppolo will have plenty of weapons to choose from.