Several posters have said, in praise of Edelman, that he looks like our third-best receiver. And he certainly does -- but is that by default?
Galloway didn't look good vs. Philly, and to my eyes hasn't shown up well in practices either. As for Lewis, the only reason he didn't show up on anybody's "losers" list last night is that he was too invisible to notice.
Any thoughts on the presumed #3 & 4 receivers?
I tend not to assign numbers to receivers since they don't mean much. The different receiver positions have specific roles and requirements...and even those can be variable depending on formation.
Moss is obviously on the field as a split end/flanker (he is effective as either) and Welker will spend most of his time in the slot in a 3 wide set. So this leads me to the following questions:
1) Who lines up wide opposite Moss?
A key consideration for this position is to be able to threaten all areas of the field. Stallworth was inconsistent on short routes so corners could play soft in single coverage. Gaffney couldn't threaten deep so he couldn't force a safety to shade his side. I think this is your "#3" receiver.
2) Who gets on the field in the 4 wide set?
This is harder to get a read on because it depends on formation. A standard 4 wide just takes a TE off the field and substitutes a slot receiver. A trips formation puts an end and flanker on the same side with a slot receiver with another end on the opposite side. So your ideal "#4" receiver should be able to play flanker or slot to give you maximum flexibility in your formations.
Based on these points, my take on the players:
- Galloway: I'll give him a pass on the TD drop because I doubt he has run many 5 yard slants with a Brady fastball coming at him. However, he will quickly end up in the Brady doghouse that has ended the Patriots career of a number of receivers. For now, his deep speed and ability to draw a safety (preventing a defense from rolling too much over to Moss) keeps him as the starter opposite Moss in the 3 wide.
- Edelman: Dude has gotten on Brady's good side, hasn't he? In a 4 wide with 2 receivers in the slot, he seems ideal paired across from Welker. He could stay on the field in a trips formation because Welker has shown he can split wide...but will be looking to see if Edelman works outside as the preseason progresses. The fact that Edelman ran with the 1's last night leads me to put him in the lead for the 4-wide receiver.
- Lewis: No real evidence to how he is fitting in at this point so all we have is that he is running with the backups. He seems like a jack-of-all-trades, but master of none. That flexibility is useful as a backup for all the receiver positions, except...
- Aiken: ...Lewis doesn't play special teams. Aiken is a special teams captain and has reliable hands (though can struggle to get open). Looks almost certain that Aiken sticks and is on the receiver depth chart somewhere.
- Tate: If he is fully healthy at some point this year, his return ability is enough that he could be a game changer. He has enough natural receiving skills to fill out the back end of the receiver depth chart. Can't see "redshirting" him if he is healthy because special teams play is HUGE in the playoffs.
So IMO..........
Moss - Starting flanker/split end
Galloway - Starting flanker/split end
Welker - Starting slot
Edelman - 4-wide, backup slot, special teams
Aiken - Backup split end, special teams
Lewis looking for injuries to stick but time runs out when/if Tate comes off PUP.