Pats Pulpit
Their wide receiver position is one of the New England Patriots’ most intriguing with the NFL roster deadline looming. While the spots atop the depth chart are seemingly occupied, the competition for backup roles has been an intense one all summer long.
It also has been one that will leave some prominent names on the outside looking in. Neither veteran Kendrick Bourne nor sophomores Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker have been able to establish themselves as players worth keeping on the 53-man team past next week’s cutdown day.
Obviously, injuries have played a part in that; the team might decide to move some of them to injured reserve next Tuesday in order to preserve the option to reactive them further down the line. However, they also might do something else: try to take advantage of what has become an active trade market at the position.
“What teams are really looking for now, as far as I can tell, is fourth and fifth receivers,” league insider Ian Rapoport said on NFL Network on Wednesday. “Teams like the Jaguars are looking for one. The Jets are looking for one. There are several teams that are in the market for fourth, fifth receivers — guys who can play special teams. We’ll see if they can find them. A lot of times it’s a player who might get cut, or another player who might get cut. This is the kind of currency we’re talking about at this time of the year.”
On Wednesday, the NFL saw two wide receiver trades take place. First, New Orleans brought Devaughn Vele in from Denver; later that evening, Kansas City shipped Skyy Moore to San Francisco.
The Patriots, despite Eliot Wolf’s claim that they would not be afraid to swing big, are unlikely to be involved in the depth receiver market as buyers. Given the composition of their current receiver room, however, they could very well become sellers over the coming days.
New England has already shown a willingness to possibly part ways with some of their talent; former defensive starters Kyle Dugger and Anfernee Jennings are both on the trade block after sliding down the depth chart this summer. The aforementioned Bourne, Polk and Baker, among others, might find themselves in the same category given their uncertain outlook.
Beyond the clubs specifically mentioned by Rapoport, the 49ers seemingly remain a team to watch even after acquiring Skyy Moore. The Minnesota Vikings appear to be another potential trade partner given that they are not just dealing with receiver issues of their own at the moment but also held a pair of joint practices with the Patriots last week.
The final week of preseason, set to kick off tonight and extend through Saturday, might also lead to increased efforts from teams to bolster their receiver depth. If so, the Patriots might be among the teams willing to part with some of their assets unlikely to end up on the active roster.
Of course, as vice president of player personnel...
