New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots went to battle last Sunday with a limited wide receiver room.
Veteran pass catcher Mack Hollins missed his second consecutive game. Hollins went on the injured reserve after an injury suffered in Week 16. He will be on the sideline until at least the AFC Conference Championship Game.
Undrafted rookie receiver Efton Chism III played in 44% of the offense’s snaps against the Miami Dolphins, just one week after logging a career-high 41 snaps played in the blowout win over the New York Jets.
Chism was the team’s sixth receiver all season, but has had to step up in Hollins’ absence.
As such, there is room for one more receiver on New England’s practice squad as a post-season insurance policy.
The Patriots hosted two free-agent wide receivers on Tuesday to potentially fill this vacancy, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported on X.
The first was former Division II standout Cole Burgess. Burgess recorded 3,133 yards in his four-year career for the Cortland Red Dragons. He tallied 87 receptions for 1,375 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior. He has spent the last two seasons on the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad.
The other receiver is the New York Jets undrafted free agent rookie signing Dymere Miller. Miller was a practice squad player for the Patriots’ AFC East rival, and he, too, took a unique route to the NFL.
He began his college career playing for FCS Monmouth in New Jersey. In his third year at Monmouth, he was a Walter Payton Award finalist (the FCS version of the Heisman Trophy). In that historic season, he set school records for single-season receptions with 90, single-season receiving yards with 1,293 and a single-game record when he recorded 333 receiving yards in a loss to UNH.
Miller then transferred to Rutgers, where he played a more than respectable senior season that earned him a spot on an NFL roster.
No signings have been made, but the Patriots have remained diligent in pursuing potential roster-strengthening opportunities.
