As the NFL calendar officially flips to 2022, we’re taking a position-by-position look at the New England Patriots’ roster. We’ll examine which players stood out in 2021, which ones have some work to do this offseason and which ones could be leaving town. Next up: wide receivers.
UNDER CONTRACT
Kendrick Bourne
Nelson Agholor
N’Keal Harry
Kristian Wilkerson
Tre Nixon
Malcolm Perry
IMPENDING FREE AGENTS
Jakobi Meyers (RFA)
Gunner Olszewski (RFA)
2021 SEASON REVIEW
The Patriots desperately needed an influx of receiver talent after a miserable 2020 season, and they got it.
Meyers maintained his No. 1 role despite the offseason arrivals of Agholor and Bourne and went on to lead the team in catches (83) and targets (126) by huge margins and receiving yards (866) by a slimmer one. The 2019 undrafted free agent set career highs in all three categories, finally caught his first career touchdown pass and was one of quarterback Mac Jones’ favorite options on third down.
Bourne, meanwhile, enjoyed an unexpectedly excellent season, emerging as the crown jewel of last year’s star-studded class of free agent receivers. The former San Francisco 49ers role player beat or tied his career bests in all three receiving categories (55-800-5) and was one of the NFL’s most efficient pass-catchers, ranking second in yards per target (behind Deebo Samuel) and third in catch rate (behind Rondale Moore and Hunter Renfrow) among all wideouts with at least 40 targets. Now-former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels also unlocked new aspects of Bourne’s game, using him as an effective rusher (12 carries, 125 yards) and passer (one touchdown pass) for the first time in his NFL career.
But while the improvement compared to 2020 was obvious and significant, this group was far from elite, still lacking a true game-changer.
Agholor brought value as a field-stretcher who opened up space for other pass-catchers, but his lackluster individual stats (37-473-3) didn’t align with the two-year, $22 million contract he signed last spring. Harry continued to be a zero in the passing game, managing just 12 catches and no touchdowns in 12 games and getting benched for a practice squadder (Wilkerson) in Week 17. Olszewski’s offensive role again was minimal (two catches, one carry).
Wilkerson, Nixon and Perry signed future contracts after the season and will compete for roster spots this spring and summer.
TOP OFFSEASON STORYLINES
1. Will the Patriots get their No. 1? As we explained in our quarterback preview, Jones won’t be able to reach his potential until New England gives him a top-tier wideout, as nearly every other team with a successful young QB has done (see: Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins in Cincinnati, Stefon Diggs in Buffalo, Tyreek Hill in Kansas City, Keenan Allen with the Chargers, etc.).
If you needed additional proof, this year’s postseason illustrated just how important high-end receiver talent is, with each of the final eight remaining teams — even run-focused clubs like San Francisco and Tennessee — boasting at least one:
Los Angeles Rams: Cooper Kupp, Odell Beckham Jr.
Cincinnati Bengals: Chase, Higgins
San Francisco 49ers: Samuel
Kansas City Chiefs: Hill
Buffalo Bills: Diggs
Tennessee Titans: A.J. Brown
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Mike Evans, Chris Godwin
Green Bay Packers: Davante Adams
The Patriots’ midseason interest in Beckham shows Bill Belichick recognized his receiving corps could use a boost. New England should look to add a legit No. 1 wideout this offseason, whether through free agency (Godwin? Allen Robinson?), a trade (Calvin Ridley?) or the 2022 NFL Draft.
This year’s draft class features a number of intriguing receivers — Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, Alabama’s Jameson Williams and John Metchie, Arkansas’ Treylon Burks and Penn State’s Jahan Dotson, to name a few — but with clear needs at positions like linebacker and cornerback, will the Patriots be willing to grab one in the early rounds? They’ve only drafted one receiver in the first round during the Belichick era (Harry in 2018) and haven’t selected one in the second or third since 2013 (Aaron Dobson).
2. Will Meyers be back? He hopes to be. The 25-year-old said after the season that he “definitely” wants to re-sign, loving the way he’s developed within the Patriots’ system and the connection he’s built with Jones. The team’s opinion of Meyers is unclear, but retaining him would make sense. He’s proven he can be a valuable contributor in New England’s offense, even if he’s not an ideal No. 1.
Since Meyers will be a restricted free agent, the Patriots can sign him to a first-, second- or original-round tender, or bypass the RFA process and lock him up on a longer-term deal. Those tenders would be one-year contracts worth roughly $5.5 million, $4 million and $2.5 million, respectively, with the latter offering no draft-pick compensation if another team signs Meyers to an offer sheet and the Patriots decline to match.
3. Any chance of an Agholor trade? Releasing Agholor after his underwhelming debut campaign would make little financial sense, as it would leave behind $10 million in dead money while creating just $4.9 million in salary cap space. A trade, though, would free up $9.9 million and leave $5 million in dead money. That’s still a larger dead-cap charge than the Patriots would prefer to eat, but with them needing to clear space for offseason additions, it’s an option worth considering.
That’s assuming another team would be willing to trade for Agholor, of course, which could be a tough sell after the season he just had. The Patriots also might believe the 28-year-old will be better in his second year in their system.
4. Is this the end for Harry? Three seasons in, the 2018 first-rounder has shown no indication that he’ll ever become a consistent, reliable NFL receiver. Yes, he blocks well and makes the occasional splash play. But he hasn’t caught more than two passes in a game since Week 14 of the 2020 season, has tallied more than three receptions just three times in his pro career and has topped 50 receiving yards just twice.
Harry’s nadir came in New England’s December loss to Buffalo. With Agholor injured and Bourne limited following a COVID bout, he managed just two catches on six targets for 15 yards despite playing nearly every offensive snap. That performance got him exiled to the inactive list the following week, and though he returned for the final two games, he played sparingly and wasn’t targeted.
It’s hard to envision Harry on the Patriots’ roster come September.
