AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski
The New England Patriots are reportedly in the market for wide receivers in free agency this offseason and have shown interest in several of them.
According to Evan Lazar of CLNS Media, Allen Robinson, D.J. Chark, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Allen Lazard and Jakeem Grant are all on the Pats’ radar.
New England has not had a 1,000-yard receiver in either of the past two seasons since quarterback Tom Brady’s departure.
Jakobi Meyers has been the Patriots’ leading receiver in each of the past two seasons with 729 yards in 2020 and 866 yards in 2021, although he has only two touchdowns during his three-year career, making him more of a supporting cast member than a No. 1 wideout.
After New England’s passing game struggled mightily in 2020 with Cam Newton at quarterback, the Patriots were active in free agency in terms of finding weapons and also addressed the quarterback position by selecting Mac Jones in the first round of the draft.
In free agency, the Patriots signed both Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor at receiver, plus they brought in tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith.
The Bourne and Henry signings worked out well, as Bourne had 55 receptions for 800 yards and five touchdowns, while Henry registered 50 grabs for 603 yards and nine scores.
Agholor and Smith were far less effective, with Agholor netting 37 catches for 473 yards and three touchdowns and Smith finishing with just 28 receptions for 294 yards and one touchdown.
As of now, the Patriots’ allotment of weapons in the passing game includes Bourne, Agholor, N’Keal Harry, Henry and Smith, while Meyers is a restricted free agent.
The Patriots undoubtedly need some upgrades if they are going to challenge the Buffalo Bills, who are the AFC East champions two years running on the strength of a dynamic offense led by quarterback Josh Allen.
If the Patriots are going to address their receiver issues in free agency, Robinson would likely make the biggest immediate impact since he is regarded as the best free-agent wideout available.
The 28-year-old veteran struggled mightily last season to the tune of just 38 receptions for 410 yards and one touchdown as the Chicago Bears cycled through veteran Andy Dalton and rookie Justin Fields at quarterback, but Robinson exceeded 1,000 yards in each of the previous two seasons and has done so three times in his career.
Chark is also an intriguing option, as the 25-year-old set career highs with 73 receptions for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns en route to the Pro Bowl as the Jacksonville Jaguars’ top receiver in 2019.
His numbers dropped off the following season in large part because of Jacksonville’s quarterback issues, and injury limited him to just four games last season.
Valdes-Scantling and Lazard both tried to establish themselves as the No. 2 wide receiver for quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the Green Bay Packers offense behind Davante Adams in recent years, but neither proved consistent enough to do so.
With an increased role in the New England offense, however, they may have the potential to reach new heights.
Grant is a player the Patriots have gotten a close look at over the past six years during his time with the Miami Dolphins.
The speedster is more of a return man than a receiver with six return touchdowns during his career, but he did have 36 receptions for 373 yards and one touchdown in 2020, so there may be some untapped potential with him as well.
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