Lil'Jordan Humphrey has made quite the case so far this preseason that he belongs on the New England Patriots' 53-man roster.
Humphrey, who the Patriots signed to a one-year contract in the middle of June, leads all New England wideouts with 11 receptions for 133 yards and a touchdown through two exhibition games.
But even with the impressive start, which included a spectacular special teams play to stop a ball from going into the end zone on a punt in the Patriots' 20-10 win over the Carolina Panthers last Friday, Humphrey isn't getting ahead of himself.
"I'm on my way, I'm not there yet. Still got a lot of work to do," Humphrey told reporters from the Las Vegas Raiders' practice facility on Monday, as seen on Patriots.com. "I've felt like I've made the best of my opportunities that I've got, and I just need to be more consistent with that and continue to grow."
It's a great mindset for the fourth-year veteran to have since Humphrey is still squarely on the roster bubble. He's also at a position where the Patriots have great depth despite rookie wide receiver Tyquan Thornton being on the shelf for a reportedly extended period of time.
So, could that lead to a position change for Humphrey? He made it sound like the Patriots have flirted with the idea during training camp.
The big-bodied Humphrey, who is listed at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, sometimes looks more like a tight end than a receiver, and said he has seen some reps at the position during practice. He has also shown a willingness to go over the middle of the field and make plays, like he did when he hauled in a 20-yard touchdown reception on a seam route in the preseason-opening loss to the New York Giants.
If Humphrey wants to see the field as often as possible, it surely isn't out of the realm of possibility that he makes the switch on a more permenant basis.
"We just work at practice," Humphrey said. "Whatever they want me to do, I just do it. I got some work during camp at it and I'm just trying to get better at it and continue to grow."
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