The New England Patriots could be in the market for a wide receiver in the wake of Danny Amendola’s ankle injury. Might one of their two scout-team wideouts get the call?
Devin Lucien and DeAndrew White both have been on New England’s practice squad since September. Lucien, a seventh-round pick of the Patriots this year, was signed to the squad shortly after final cuts, and White, a second-year pro who played sparingly with the San Francisco 49ers last season, joined him less than two weeks later.
Neither has spent a minute on the 53-man roster this season, but Patriots coach Bill Belichick praised both when asked about them Tuesday during a conference call with reporters.
“I think they’ve made good progress,” Belichick said. “DeAndrew came with us after training camp. Devin’s been here the whole time, but DeAndrew has another year of experience in the league. They both have been consistent. They’ve been out there every day. They work hard.
“They’ve made plays for us in practice on the scout team against our defense, so overall, our guys on the practice squad do a good job. They certainly help us get ready for the games by simulating our opponent’s schemes and playing styles, and at the same time, they’ve improved with their individual skills and techniques. Both of those guys — they’ve done a good job for us.”
Amendola reportedly is expected to miss final four weeks of the regular season after suffering a high ankle sprain in Sunday’s win over the Los Angeles Rams. That leaves the Patriots’ offense — already without tight end Rob Gronkowski for the rest of the season — with just three healthy wide receivers: Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan and Malcolm Mitchell, plus banged-up special teamer Matthew Slater.
While the Patriots theoretically could press on with the three wideouts and tight ends Martellus Bennett and Matt Lengel, the more likely scenario involves them bringing in a short-term replacement for Amendola. That could be a practice-squadder, one of the various ex-Patriots currently toiling in free agency (Keshawn Martin, Aaron Dobson, etc.) or another free agent with no New England ties.
It’s worth noting neither Lucien nor White has extensive punt return experience — an area of need with Amendola, the Patriots’ primary punt returner, sidelined. Lucien didn’t field a single punt in four years at UCLA and Arizona State. White returned one during his brief stint with the Niners last season and two more as a freshman at Alabama back in 2011.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
