Patriots’ Inactivity In Receiver Market Signal Of Painful Reality

It’s only been a few days since they’ve had an opportunity to start making upgrades, but the Patriots’ inactivity in the wide receiver market has been concerning.

It’s also been enough for the reality of the situation to set in.

New England isn’t a place where talented wide receivers want to go. It’s a place where (if all goes to plan) they’ll end up.

The Patriots have spent nearly half of the record-setting amount of cap room they entered the offseason with retaining their priority in-house free agents and making minimal upgrades on the margins. They’ve gotten slightly better at tight end. They added front-seven help to an already stout defense. And Jacoby Brissett’s and upgrade over Mac Jones, whether you like it or not.

You can’t be too upset with the sensible and helpful moves that have been made, but the Patriots actually have gotten worse at wide receiver. That’s unacceptable.

New England quickly fell out of contention for the top wideouts on the open market, though it was reportedly relatively close to striking a deal with Calvin Ridley before he joined the Tennessee Titans. The guys who could have served as solid upgrades without being considered a true No. 1 receiver? They’re all gone, too.

Marquise Brown joined the Kansas City Chiefs on a one-year pact. Curtis Samuel joined the Buffalo Bills, which was their way of replacing Gabe Davis, who joined the Jacksonville Jaguars. Darnell Mooney is joining the Atlanta Falcons, prompting the Chicago Bears to swing a trade for Keenan Allen to replace him.

The Patriots? They cut DeVante Parker. That’s pretty much it.

It would be disingenuous to claim New England can’t still make slight upgrades at the position, with the free agent market still housing some nice players. Tyler Boyd’s always been solid with the Cincinnati Bengals, while a guy like Michael Thomas might be able to return to form being featured in an offense. Mike Williams is on the open market, and if the price is right, at least represents a talented wideout when he actually stays on the field. The Patriots might not be the ones who decide whether any of them join the roster, though. It’s not all that attractive of a situation for these guys.

The 2024 NFL Draft is fast approaching, and that could very well be where Patriots de-facto general manager Eliot Wolf looks to rebuild his receiving corps. We just can’t forget about their nonexistent left tackle and the likelihood that their No. 3 pick is used on a quarterback.

If the Patriots hit on the QB, subsequent seasons will give them an opportunity to surround him with talent. The Bills did it with Josh Allen. The Bengals pretty much did the same with Joe Burrow. The Ravens are still trying to find the right formula around Lamar Jackson. It’s a process, and this rebuild was never going to happen in one offseason, but right now there’s one thing that’s become clear.

The Patriots still have a long way to go, and if they’re going to successfully build a winner, Wolf and company are going to have to have a great batting average.