New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots have a lot of competition on their roster in training camp this year, but easily the most competitive position of them all has been wide receiver, where several players are competing for one or two spots on the 53-man roster.
Stefon Diggs, Demario Douglas, Mack Hollins and Kyle Williams appear to be the locks at this spot. That leaves Ja’Lynn Polk, Kayshon Boutte, Kendrick Bourne, Javon Baker and Efton Chism III competing for the final roster spots at wide receiver.
Early at training camp, Boutte has emerged as a standout performer, increasing the likelihood he will make the roster. However, on Tuesday, fans were quick to notice that Baker was included in the starting group of wideouts alongside Boutte and the aforementioned roster locks.
Baker has come on strong as of late, and his inclusion in the starting group indicates he could be making a push for a roster spot. In the wake of this development, Patriots insider Andrew Callahan provided an update on Baker’s standing with the team.
“Javon Baker running with the starters. This guy has had the highest of the highs among the receivers. He’s also had some pretty big lows. But the point is when it’s good, it’s good,” Callahan said on “Pats Interference.”
It remains to be seen what this development means for Baker moving forward. Could he actually be pushing for a roster spot, or is the team attempting to inflate his trade value so that they could potentially move him ahead of the start of the season, rather than potentially waiving him and getting nothing in return for him?
Something’s got to give when it comes to the wide receiver spot, as New England simply has too many guys competing for only a couple of spots right now. A trade would help clear things out, especially now that Baker appears to be making waves at training camp.
The more highlight-reel plays Baker makes during the camp, the better a position the Patriots will be in, regardless of what the team does with him moving forward. However, it doesn’t look like the team’s decisions at wide receiver are going to get easier anytime soon.
