WR Talk: Who makes the Cut?

Harry certainly gives them a big presence who was their best blocking wr last year. In a heavy running short passing offense I am not sure I would overlook that aspect of his game.

As long as there is not an injury, I am supremely confident Harry will not be with the team by Week 1 worst case Columbus Day.

In NE WR4 & 5 need to be very, very good in ST and he is not.

Nelson
Bourne
Jakobi
Guns
WR5

I see Agholor, Bourne, Meyers, Gunner as (virtual) locks. The two questions in my head are:

1. Do we go with 5 or 6? Likely depends on how much we like Gunner at WR as well as if a 6th guy sticks out as worth keeping.
2. Who even is WR5/6?

I'm guessing we go with 5 and the fifth is Harry, but what I'm hoping for is the Zuber hype is justified so we keep him and trade Harry for whatever we can get.

50-yard-line said:

My guess is that Harry has to show a lot of aggression and a bullying attitude to stick around. The physical tools are there and the attitude has to catch up.

They won't cut him, likely (that costs cap), but if he doesn't step into the level of the top 3 on the team, they'll swap him for a bag of balls.

I think it'll be: Agholor, Meyers, Bourne, Harry, and Gunner. If Harry has any hiccups, replace him with maybe Zuber.

Click to expand...

Wouldn't trading him cost the same amount of cap? Or at least some. I wouldn't worry too much about his sunk cost considering we've done our spending for the year and it probably wouldn't amount to much anyway. If he deserves a spot, he gets the spot; otherwise he's gone whether it's by cut or trade.

jah said:

I see Agholor, Bourne, Meyers, Gunner as (virtual) locks. The two questions in my head are:

1. Do we go with 5 or 6? Likely depends on how much we like Gunner at WR as well as if a 6th guy sticks out as worth keeping.
2. Who even is WR5/6?

I'm guessing we go with 5 and the fifth is Harry, but what I'm hoping for is the Zuber hype is justified so we keep him and trade Harry for whatever we can get.

Click to expand...

I think if we had a 6th WR that was a strong special teamer (think Slater but actually able to contribute at WR), we'd go with 6. But as is, those ST spots have a lot of really solid veterans competing for them that I don't see someone like Zuber or Nixon beating out. Slater, Bethel, Davis, Bolden, King all have leg up in that regard.

I think it comes down to Harry vs. Zuber for that 5th and final spot. If we hadn't just invested in two high priced TE's, I would say Harry has a role he could carve out as kind of a WR/TE tweener. Maybe still if Asiasi doesn't improve. But as it stands, I think a lot of the snaps where Harry could really "excel" will be taken by TE's. In the end I think Zuber makes the team as a more versatile WR and Harry gets moved for whatever we can get.

But ultimately I need to see some competitive practices/games before I elevate or bury anyone (even guys like Harry or Cam).

would like to see Agolor, Bourne, Myers, Gunner, Zuber and Nixon on the PS at least.

jah said:

I see Agholor, Bourne, Meyers, Gunner as (virtual) locks. The two questions in my head are:

1. Do we go with 5 or 6? Likely depends on how much we like Gunner at WR as well as if a 6th guy sticks out as worth keeping.
2. Who even is WR5/6?

I'm guessing we go with 5 and the fifth is Harry, but what I'm hoping for is the Zuber hype is justified so we keep him and trade Harry for whatever we can get.

Click to expand...

We might only go with 4 as other positions might see more members than in years past. Keep in mind in 2014 we only really had 3 WRs who played (JE, Danny and LaFell) and WR4 was a weekly community audition....

We might go with 3 QBs. (Cam/Stid, Mac and Hoyer)
We might go with a pure FB (Jakob who can line up as a TE)
We might go with 3 TEs (Smith Double H and Asiasi)
We might go with 5 DTs (Pick 5 as there are currently 8 on the roster)
We might go with 5 RBs (Sony, Harris, White, Rham, Bolden)

If BB is consistent at all he'll aim to keep the best 53.

I think Harry will be gone by the final 53, I think he will be traded. BUT, there’s a lot of time left for him. IF he has a great training camp and preseason, he’ll make the team. If he struggles as usual, it means he is who is is, a bust who was a swing and a miss by BB. Hearing tons of positive things about Meyers & Zuber, as well as Bourne & Agholor. I think Gunner makes it. So I think it’ll be down to Harry and Zuber.

DropKickFlutie said:

It's a strong group. No elite WR but it has depth.

Agholor, Meyers, Bourne will get most of the snaps. Gunner has improved. Tre might have something, was Ernie's pick. Zuber showed some potential.

Everyone else is on the bubble. Nkeal Harry might be more valuable as a 6th round pick trade away than being the 4th/5th receiver here and then getting cut/released. Also the 2 starting TEs will get a lot of balls. Harry doesn't really have a role here anymore. Tough to justify throwing to him over Henry, Smith, Agholor, Meyers, Bourne even on red zone plays.

Click to expand...

It's Not a strong group, at all...It also doesn't have depth - not quality depth anyway, it has question marks...Not the same thing.

betterthanthealternative said:

No need to waste a pick on Gunner because he's making the special teams roster along with the kickers, snapper, and gunners.

Click to expand...

farn said:

With Gunner so prominently featured on STs, I’d not discount 6 WRs…

Click to expand...

mgteich said:

I think that you have it backwards. Since we have Gunner, we don't have to keep 5 other WR's. The #5 WR get very few reps. Since Gunner will always be active, he can take those reps.

Click to expand...

I'm not yet ready to hand a spot on the 53 to somebody who is merely a Punt Returner-Only...Not nearly enough bottom-of-the-roster versatility for my taste... Dude needs to also be a KO Returner Plus a contributing member of the Big 4 STs Plus have the ability to draw at least competitive single coverage on offense.

Sicilian said:

I think if we had a 6th WR that was a strong special teamer (think Slater but actually able to contribute at WR), we'd go with 6. But as is, those ST spots have a lot of really solid veterans competing for them that I don't see someone like Zuber or Nixon beating out. Slater, Bethel, Davis, Bolden, King all have leg up in that regard.

Click to expand...

"One of these is not like the other..."

captain stone said:

It's Not a strong group, at all...It also doesn't have depth - not quality depth anyway, it has question marks...Not the same thing.

Click to expand...

I guess I'm just counting on the 2 TEs for over 100 catches. The group isn't worse than what we've won rings with before.

someone you don't expect is getting cut. bill the GM would take a guy making 1M whom he projects at 40 catches over a guy making 10M whom he projects at 60 catches...thats an oversimplification, but that's how bill rolls

FCB02062 said:

someone you don't expect is getting cut. bill the GM would take a guy making 1M whom he projects at 40 catches over a guy making 10M whom he projects at 60 catches...thats an oversimplification, but that's how bill rolls

Click to expand...

Probably Jakobi Meyers.

Bill seems to hate him for some reason. Basically the bizarro Jake Bequette.

DropKickFlutie said:

I guess I'm just counting on the 2 TEs for over 100 catches. The group isn't worse than what we've won rings with before.

Click to expand...

Understood...But this is about the WRs, not the TEs/RBs.

Nehalem said:

Probably Jakobi Meyers.

Bill seems to hate him for some reason. Basically the bizarro Jake Bequette.

Click to expand...

Huh?

ctpatsfan77 said:

Huh?

Click to expand...

He got benched in 2019 for Sanu.

Then in 2020 he spent the first 5 games on the bench and only got to play because Harry got hurt.

Nehalem said:

He got benched in 2019 for Sanu.

Then in 2020 he spent the first 5 games on the bench and only got to play because Harry got hurt.

Click to expand...

True, but sitting behind Snuze & Harry was more a reflection of the experienced vet/1st-round pick ahead of a 2nd-year UDFA pecking order at the time...Don't think Meyers has to worry about that now...Besides, everybody else in the room other than he & Agholor & Bourne haven't done jack feckin squat in the league; so he shouldn't worry about being replaced here...

Lazar:

6. WR Gunner Olszewski Starting to Get Open in Team Drills ​

As an All-Pro punt returner, Olszewski is already a roster lock. But the more you can do, the more valuable you are to Bill Belichick. I’m reluctant to say that Olszewski is on the Troy Brown, Wes Welker, Julian Edelman trajectory where he’s going to develop into a great slot receiver and returner. But Gunner keeps making plays in live team drills. On Tuesday, Olszewski dusted cornerback D’Angelo Ross on a crossing route where an explosive route break caused Ross to fall to the turf. If the parallels between Olszewski’s career and Edelman’s continue, then this would be the year where he starts to make an impact as a receiver.

Click to expand...

8. WR Jakobi Meyers Continues to Shine in Spring Practices ​

We are going on five practices now where Jakobi Meyers is a targets machine. Meyers’s work underneath the defense and at the intermediate level is standing out every day. He has an excellent feel for route pacing, syncing his steps up with the play’s timing. For example, during a 3-on-2 period where the defense had three players in coverage against two receivers, Meyers ran a slick quick out of a stack formation with Nelson Agholor pushing the coverage upfield. Meyers and Agholor ran the route so well that it was nearly indefensible. Even with the additions of Agholor, Kendrick Bourne, and the two tight ends, Meyers will be a factor.

Click to expand...

captain stone said:

I'm not yet ready to hand a spot on the 53 to somebody who is merely a Punt Returner-Only...Not nearly enough bottom-of-the-roster versatility for my taste... Dude needs to also be a KO Returner Plus a contributing member of the Big 4 STs Plus have the ability to draw at least competitive single coverage on offense.

Click to expand...

I think the chance of a healthy Gunner NOT making the team : 0%.