The Patriots are set to enter the free agency phase of the 2016 off-season and we\u2019ll explore some of the biggest needs of the team moving forward. And some of the names of their own free agents as well as some of their potential targets.<\/p>\n
First up on the free agency positional list: Wide Receivers<\/strong><\/p>\n Team Need: High<\/strong><\/p>\n Returning players: <\/strong>Julian Edelman, Brandon LaFell, Danny Amendola, Keshawn Martin, Chris Harper, Josh Boyce (IR), Aaron Dobson (IR)<\/p>\n Free Agents<\/strong>: Brian Tyms (RFA\/IR), Brandon Gibson (UFA)<\/p>\n The Patriots are entering another year with uncertainty pertaining to their wide receiving core. There is Julian Edelman and question marks. Keshawn Martin signed an extension and will definitely be back in 2016, but what about everyone else?<\/p>\n Danny Amendola and Brandon LaFell are both slotted to return but Amendola will no doubt have to re-do his deal which is slotted to count $6.8 million against the salary cap. LaFell was never healthy and had a really bad year after a big 2014 season. He could find himself cut early this spring or if the team feels his poor season was due solely to his not being healthy, he could be back and be allowed to win back his job. LaFell is due to count $3.6 million against the cap in 2016.<\/p>\n Chris Harper flashed in training camp and preseason. Josh Boyce and Aaron Dobson could each find themselves out after injuries derailed their third season for the Pats.\u00a0 Brandon Gibson and Brian Tyms both seemed destined for the roster in 2015 before injuries cut short their seasons in camp.<\/p>\n The team needs some youth, size and speed on the outside. Not necessarily a deep threat, that everyone clamors for, since that isn\u2019t their offense. But someone who can stretch the field horizontally as well as vertically and has the size to go up and grab those contested throws.<\/p>\n Up Next\u2026some of the free agent wide receivers that can help the team:<\/p>\n Mohamed Sanu<\/strong><\/p>\n Sanu is the wide receiver most linked to the Patriots this off-season and the member of the Bengals had a disappointing 2015 catching only 33 passes for 394 yards and zero touchdowns\u2026sound familiar Mr. LaFell?<\/p>\n But Sanu is versatile, something Bill Belichick covets in his players, he can line up both outside or in the slot. He\u2019s a different slot receiver as he\u2019s bigger than most at 6\u20192 and would present a bigger target that either Edelman or Amendola. He can also rush the ball on the Jet sweep and can throw the double pass.<\/p>\n Oh and he was a member of the Rutgers football team that the Patriots always seem to show love for\u2026.sign him up now! Sanu shouldn\u2019t break the bank in terms of salary cap hit so that wouldn\u2019t be an issue.<\/p>\n Sanu is only 26 and will turn 27 around the end of training camp in late August so his best days should still be in front of him. He\u2019s versatile, fast and underrated. But he had the luxury of playing with A.J. Green and Marvin Jones so opponents would focus on stopping them first. So what could be the catch here? It may be an either\/or situation.<\/p>\n When looking at Sanu\u2019s fit, he\u2019s going to be either in the slot or the \u201cZ\u201d position. That is where Edelman and Amendola are already. So if they bring him in, unless they have another area specifically in mind for his abilities, then that may mean that Amendola is out.<\/p>\n Sanu is an intriguing player and could be a nice fit for this offense. Belichick will have to a role in mind for him and the money will have to be right as well. Next up is another wide receiver wearing tiger stripes\u2026<\/p>\n Marvin Jones<\/strong><\/p>\n Jones is another Bengal who played with Sanu catching passes from Andy Dalton.\u00a0 The talented wide receiver will turn 26 in March and is coming of a season where he had career highs in catches 65, and yards 816, while scoring 4 touchdowns.<\/p>\n He had a breakout year in 2013 and scored 10 touchdowns but missed all of 2014 with an ankle injury but he rebounded nicely this season and was a big part of the offense behind A.J. Green. He was originally drafted in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL Draft with a pick acquired from the Patriots in the Chad Ocho Cinco trade.<\/p>\n Jones is 6\u20192, 195 pounds and has surprising toughness while doing the dirty work underneath as the \u201cZ\u201d receiver in the Bengals offense. He also possesses the ability to make people miss and reel in the all-important yards after catch. Jones would be a nice fit in the Patriots offense.<\/p>\n He wouldn\u2019t be the lead guy, that would remain to rest with Edelman or Gronkowski, but he\u2019ll be an outstanding addition to the offense as a whole. He\u2019s looked upon as a receiver with outstanding route running which will resonate with both Josh McDaniels and Tom Brady.<\/p>\n Jones will be looking for money in the $5-6 million-dollar range in free agency this season. Rumors that he was looking for $7 million a year were shot down by him. New England could be an intriguing option for him as he\u2019d get his payday but wouldn\u2019t be thrust in the unknown position of having to be \u201cthe guy\u201d in the offense. With Edelman and Gronkowski in the fold, the Patriots would just ask him to do what he already does best. And of course with a chance to get a ring.<\/p>\n Next up\u2026a speedy wide receiver and returner<\/p>\n Travis Benjamin<\/strong><\/p>\n Benjamin, 26, is a speedy wide receiver and kick returner from the Cleveland Browns. After a relatively quiet first couple of seasons, he broke out with a stellar 2015 that was a bright spot on the rest of a dismal year in Cleveland.<\/p>\n Benjamin caught 68 passes for 966 yards, good for a 14.2 yard per catch average and five touchdowns this past year. He also returned 28 punts for 324 yards, (11.6 avg), including a 78-yard touchdown.<\/p>\n While he doesn\u2019t have the size the Patriots would be looking for at only 5\u201910, 175-pounds, Benjamin does have speed, and lots of it. He runs in the 4.3 range in the 40-yard dash and can stretch the field horizontally as well as vertically. In his fourth season, his route-running has improved leading to more targets and more catches.<\/p>\n Benjamin with his speed forces the secondary to cover him a bit more loosely, opening up some of the underneath routes, the come-backs, and cuts across the middle which would be a perfect fit in New England. With Edelman and Gronkowski opening things up elsewhere, Benjamin getting the ball in space could be a dynamic option for the Patriots offense as his three return touchdowns have shown.<\/p>\n As to what will Benjamin fetch on the open market is a good question, I think the Patriots could target the speedy receiver and return specialist in the $4 to 4.5 million-dollar range. \u00a0With the revolving door at quarterback and the generally poor play at the position in Cleveland, he could be a nice impact player with Tom Brady and the Patriots offense.<\/p>\n While Cleveland has the cap space to keep him in place for the foreseeable future, it shouldn\u2019t be too hard to entice him away and get him to play for a winning franchise.<\/p>\n Next up\u2026another player who had a breakout season in 2015.<\/p>\n Rishard Matthews<\/strong><\/p>\n Matthews, much like Benjamin had a coming out party in 2015. But while he lacks the explosiveness of the speedy Cleveland wideout, he makes up for that with size and dependability. He caught 43 passes for 662 yards (15.4 avg), with 4 touchdowns for the Dolphins before a rib injury sidelined him.<\/p>\n Matthews has good size at 6\u20190, 212-pounds and is an underrated if under-used (the second Miami player to have that title), wide receiver who could be a nice pickup for the Patriots offense.<\/p>\n Like the previously listed Jones and Sanu, Matthews isn\u2019t going to be \u201cthe guy\u201d who will be the focal point of the offense, but he can be a very solid addition with good speed, size and dependability. He caught 70 percent of the passes thrown his way in 2015.<\/p>\n Miami may make a move to retain him and with the new coaching staff, perhaps they can convince him that he will cease being an afterthought in their offensive game plans, which under the former regime were suspect at best. With New England, Matthews is a guy who could easily step in to the Brandon LaFell role whom the Patriots may cut ties to this spring. With good size, speed and sure hands, he\u2019d instantly bond with Brady and be a very attractive third option behind Edelman and Gronk.<\/p>\n Matthews like Benjamin should be looking for a payday in the $4 to 4.5 million-dollar range. If that is close to what the Patriots value him, then he could be a target.<\/p>\n One other player whose name has been bandied about is Anquan Boldin from the 49ers. The soon-to-be 36-year old wide receiver shows no signs of slowing down. Although he\u2019s not the deep threat he once was, he\u2019s still very productive and reliable. But he\u2019s made it clear, he wants to stay in SF and despite the struggling Niners QB situation, he\u2019ll probably do just that.<\/p>\n Follow me on Twitter\u00a0<\/em>@SteveB7SFG<\/em><\/a>\u00a0or email me at\u00a0<\/em>stevebpatsfans@gmail.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Listen to our\u00a0<\/em>Patriots 4th<\/sup>\u00a0and 2<\/em><\/a>\u00a0podcast on blog talk radio as the writers Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and I from\u00a0<\/em>PatsFans.com<\/em><\/a>\u00a0discuss the latest Patriots news Wednesdays at 12 noon.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The team needs some youth, size and speed on the outside. Not necessarily a deep threat, that everyone clamors for, since that isn\u2019t their offense. But someone who can stretch the field horizontally as well as vertically and has the size to go up and grab those contested throws.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":1870,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,10],"tags":[185,464,823,806,799,48,34,132,18,256,17,44,70,8,38,280,201,117,13],"class_list":["post-4975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-patriots-commentary","category-patriots-news","tag-2015-nfl-season","tag-2015-patriots-season","tag-2016-free-agents","tag-2016-nfl-off-season","tag-2016-patriots-roster","tag-53-man-roster-projection","tag-bill-belichick","tag-brandon-lafell","tag-danny-amendola","tag-josh-mcdaniels","tag-julian-edelman","tag-new-england-patriots","tag-nfl","tag-patriots","tag-patriots-edge-rushers","tag-patriots-wide-receivers","tag-pittsburgh-steelers","tag-rob-gronkowski","tag-tom-brady"],"yoast_head":"\n