Patriots fans were caught by surprise when FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer reported Sunday that New England is interested in trading for a “bona fide, premium wide receiver” before the Oct. 30 deadline.
Glazer mentioned the Patriots are “offering up high draft choices” for such a player. The confusion is understandable. The Patriots have Julian Edelman and Josh Gordon as their No. 1 and 2 receivers. They also have decent depth at the position with Chris Hogan, their No. 3 wideout, Phillip Dorsett and Cordarrelle Patterson as backup options.
But there are multiple reasons why the Patriots might want to add another wideout. The first of which is related to short-term planning. Gordon is one failed test away from being suspended by the NFL once again. Gordon has been on his best behavior with the Patriots, but all it takes is one slip up for Gordon to go down for the rest of the season and possibly his career.
Edelman, meanwhile, has played a full 16-game season just twice in his career. He missed all of 2017 with a torn ACL, and he played just nine games in 2015 with a foot injury.
The Patriots’ best pass-catching weapon, Rob Gronkowski, is injury prone. There’s no need to mince words.
He’s already dealing with ankle and back issues and missed Week 7. He hasn’t played a full 16-game season since 2011, when he then got banged up in the ensuing playoffs.
Hogan dealt with shoulder issues that limited him to nine games in 2017. Basically, the Patriots are extremely reliant on their offense, and it’s extremely unlikely Edelman, Gordon, Gronkowski and Hogan will all stay fully healthy for the remainder of the season.
The Patriots saw what their offense looked like with a depleted set of weapons earlier in the season, and it wasn’t always pretty.
The second reason to target a pass-catcher is related to long-term planning. The only wide receivers on the Patriots’ 53-man roster signed beyond this season are Edelman, rookies Braxton Berrios and Darren Andrews, both of whom are on reserve lists, and special-teamer Matthew Slater.
It would be nice for the Patriots have some sort of future plan at the position. They obviously can’t get by with that group in 2019, and they had a hell of a time finding wide receivers this offseason.
Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas and the San Francisco 49ers’ Pierre Garcon have been floated out as available options. The Oakland Raiders also could choose to move tight end Jared Cook.
The most interesting name that Glazer said has garnered interest is New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham just signed a massive contract with the Giants, which means New York would take on $40 million in dead cap by trading him. So, a team would have to pay up significantly to acquire him.
But it might be worth it. Most of Beckham’s guarantees in his contract are tied to that $40 million signing bonus. Most other guarantees are tied to future events like roster and workout bonuses. Beckham’s contract would be roughly $78 million over the next 5 1/2 years. That’s a bargain for an elite weapon.
The Patriots have bigger needs on defense, but they know where their bread is buttered.
Bringing in some reserves, or an elite weapon, might not be a bad idea.
