The New England Patriots made a big move on Thursday, claiming former Arizona Cardinal Michael Floyd off of waivers.
One of the major weaknesses for the New England Patriots heading into the stretch run is their depth at receiver. While the team has some solid weapons in long time slot man Julian Edelman, impressive rookie Malcolm Mitchell, and first-year Patriot Chris Hogan, the team lacks depth and experience at one of the most important positions.
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Given that the team’s defense is only serviceable, they need to make sure that their offense is capable of carrying them against some of the NFL’s best teams.
Well, they were able to do that. On Thursday, the team elected to claim Michael Floyd off of waivers from the Arizona Cardinals. Floyd, a first-round pick in 2012, had been released earlier in the week after being charged with a DUI. The news was first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Twitter:
The #Patriots have claimed WR Michael Floyd, source said. That’s a big-time addition.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 15, 2016
Needless to say, adding Floyd is a high upside move for the Patriots and it could pay major dividends in the postseason.
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Coming into 2016, the Cardinals expected Floyd to have another big year. He was coming off of a highly productive campaign in which he recorded 849 receiving yards and six touchdowns. He was expected to take another step towards becoming the team’s heir apparent to Larry Fitzgerald. Instead, he regressed.
Through 13 games, Floyd was as mediocre as they come. He only had 446 receiving yards for the season, and posted seven games where he had 31 yards or fewer. It did not look like the effort was there from Floyd, which was extremely concerning given that he was in a contract year. If he does not care about playing well in a contract year, will he ever care about performing well?
Regardless of what happens, landing with the Patriots is great for both sides. For the Patriots, they get the depth they need at receiver. Floyd could be a potential playmaker who could put up some excellent numbers with Tom Brady. For Floyd, he gets to work with the best quarterback of all-time and a brilliant head coach in Bill Belichick. Also, Floyd will learn some discipline as he studies the Patriots Way.
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This is also a pretty low risk move for the Patriots. If Floyd does not pan out, he will only be with them for six games at most. Then, they can part ways with him since he is a free agent at the end of the year. If he does pan out, then they can try to negotiate a new contract with him in hopes of using him as a No. 1 receiver in the future.