Do We Enough Wide Receivers? :)

I expect us take 5 of the following. Personally, I think that the bottom five will be greatly helped by the offseason, camp and pre-season. More than one may be ready for major contributions if there is injury or a trade (or failure to come back from injury). Britt was paid his bonus for a reason. I expect him to be a significant competitor for a roster spot.

Edelman
Cooks
Hogan
Mitchell
Patterson (KR)

Britt
Dorsett
McCarron
Hollister

Certainly with Edelman and Mitchell coming off lost seasons due to injury, it's easy to understand why we have overstocked on WR. I like the addition of Patterson as a KR and an option to run out of the backfield as an offensive wrinkle. The big bonus will be if we get Cyrus Jones off the team or at least kick returns. I agree that 5 is likely the number, but after the injury history of 2017, BB may consider keeping 6 as insurance.

Mitchell’s health is the X factor here for 2018 & beyond.

For the 90-man, off-season/Camp roster, no.

The Pats typically carry about a dozen into final cutdowns, especially when there are three QBs who need throwing reps - which seems at least somewhat likely again this season.

From THAT, they'll keep the most capable (and healthy) five. Keeping six seems unlikely if there are 3 QBs on the roster, and seems especially unlikely if the OT situation causes them to keep an extra OL on the 53-man.

Of the nine currently on the roster, I'd say that only Edelman and Cooks are virtual "locks" for the 53-man. Everybody else is vulnerable to some degree.

However, this nine is probably among the strongest groups the Pats have ever had to choose a final five from.

2006 Tom Brady would have killed this group.

With their very affordable, albeit one year, contracts it wouldn't be surprising to see Britt or Dorsett moved either in a draft package or post draft deal. With the WR market going insane ( Moncrief at $9.6m, smdh) they have a value to the right team we might not have previously recognized.

mgteich said:

I expect us take 5 of the following. Personally, I think that the bottom five will be greatly helped by the offseason, camp and pre-season. More than one may be ready for major contributions if there is injury or a trade (or failure to come back from injury). Britt was paid his bonus for a reason. I expect him to be a significant competitor for a roster spot.

Edelman
Cooks
Hogan
Mitchell
Patterson (KR)

Britt
Dorsett
McCarron
Hollister

Click to expand...

You left Slater off the list.

Lots of bodies and lots of question marks

mcmurtry86 said:

Lots of bodies and lots of question marks

Click to expand...

The three exclamation points at the top of the list do make the question marks a bit more palatable though

So if Edelman or cooks gets hurt next season, where does that leave us?

Yes we need another playmaker at wide receiver. Competition brings out the best in players!!!

maust1013 said:

2006 Tom Brady would have killed this group.

With their very affordable, albeit one year, contracts it wouldn't be surprising to see Britt or Dorsett moved either in a draft package or post draft deal. With the WR market going insane ( Moncrief at $9.6m, smdh) they have a value to the right team we might not have previously recognized.

Click to expand...

I wouldn't mind much if the soon-to-be-30 Britt was moved for a pick, but Dorsett (only 25) seems worth keeping for further development, especially with unresolved questions about Mitchell's current and future knee health.

maust1013 said:

2006 Tom Brady would have killed this group.

With their very affordable, albeit one year, contracts it wouldn't be surprising to see Britt or Dorsett moved either in a draft package or post draft deal. With the WR market going insane ( Moncrief at $9.6m, smdh) they have a value to the right team we might not have previously recognized.

Click to expand...

Whats the point of another 5th or 6th round pick ?

The probability to find someone like Dorsett or Britt right there is close to zero. And you would give up on the experience they already gained by being on the roster for some time.

There is no way any of the two gets cut before the end of camp unless something disciplinary happens.

luuked said:

Whats the point of another 5th or 6th round pick ?

The probability to find someone like Dorsett or Britt right there is close to zero. And you would give up on the experience they already gained by being on the roster for some time.

There is no way any of the two gets cut before the end of camp unless something disciplinary happens.

Click to expand...

With a seeming surplus at WR, it's tempting to try to exchange one of them for currency that could be used to acquire a potential asset at a different position. By the end of Camp, there may not be much of a market (if any) to "sell" a surplus WR into. OTOH, those teams who'd be seriously interested at that point might also be more desperate and pay a higher price, albeit in a 2019 draft pick.

I think the position has more than enough but I still could see the value in adding a high draft pick.

If we aren't re-signing Cooks then the position needs some young talent. Even though we all want Defense and LT the skill positions on offense can't be ignored they need some young players there. My preference would be a TE but WR or RB would be OK too. I think 2 of 3 top picks should go to D and one to TE. If there is an LT worthy than my math is messed up.

If Gronk is here our WR unit is excellent. If he’s not, it looks a lot less impressive.

luuked said:

There is no way any of the two gets cut before the end of camp unless something disciplinary happens.

Click to expand...

I don't really see either getting cut.

signbabybrady said:

I think the position has more than enough but I still could see the value in adding a high draft pick.

If we aren't re-signing Cooks then the position needs some young talent. Even though we all want Defense and LT the skill positions on offense can't be ignored they need some young players there. My preference would be a TE but WR or RB would be OK too. I think 2 of 3 top picks should go to D and one to TE. If there is an LT worthy than my math is messed up.

Click to expand...

Adding youth, I can agree with.

Doesn't need to be a rookie though. An undervalued/underused player who's 25/26 with a couple of years of NFL experience will do nicely.

More risk with a rookie WR, regardless what round they're drafted in. I'd go for quantity over pedigree and (supposed) NFL "talent".

The contract situations with this group are crazy. Talk about unstable.

JE11- Hes here for 2018 but has a big cap hit for a 32 year old in 2019. If he doesn't come all the way back he could be a redu for 2019.
Cooks- Someone is paying him mucho dinero in 2019
Hogs- Here in 2018. FA in 2019. Extension?
Britt- Could be here in 2018. Could be gone. Could be here in 2019. Could be gone.
Dorsett- Same as Britt in 2018. FA in 2019
Patterson- Here for sure in 2018. FA in 2019.
Mitchell- Money is fine thru 2019. Health is not.

I think Slater is a 1 year deal and hes not a WR.

Whatever the team gets from McCarron or Hollister is a bonus.

Overall this group in 2018 should be very good regardless who makes the team

maineman209 said:

With a seeming surplus at WR, it's tempting to try to exchange one of them for currency that could be used to acquire a potential asset at a different position. By the end of Camp, there may not be much of a market (if any) to "sell" a surplus WR into. OTOH, those teams who'd be seriously interested at that point might also be more desperate and pay a higher price, albeit in a 2019 draft pick.

Click to expand...

At the end of camp, an excess WR who didn't make our team might be worth a 6th. The issue is whether Belichick wants to trade Cooks.

mgteich said:

At the end of camp, an excess WR who didn't make our team might be worth a 6th. The issue wi whether belichick wants to trade Cooks.

Click to expand...

Actually, this particular thread-within-a-thread began with this comment:

maust1013 said:

With their very affordable, albeit one year, contracts it wouldn't be surprising to see Britt or Dorsett moved either in a draft package or post draft deal. With the WR market going insane ( Moncrief at $9.6m, smdh) they have a value to the right team we might not have previously recognized.

Click to expand...

We were more or less excluding Cooks from this limited context.

Can you just line up all receivers? Lol

Get about eleven more