FOXBORO – Change was needed for a sputtering Patriots offense after a disappointing season, and in Sunday’s season opener, they’ll be trotting out a new-look wide receiver corps with a new starting quarterback in a new system.
DeVante Parker and JuJu Smith-Schuster are gone – both cut after receiving new contracts from Bill Belichick just last season. It’s still unclear exactly which wide receivers will start in the Patriots’ offense, but expect to see a lot of 2023 sixth-round pick DeMario Douglas, the team’s receiving leader last season; 2022 second-round pick Tyquan Thornton; 2024 second-round pick Ja’Lynn Polk; and veteran pickup K.J. Osborn, who came over from the Vikings, catching passes from Jacoby Brissett.
“Early in the season, it’s tough to sit here and say, ‘This guy can go out here and play 60 plays,’ because no one has done that to this point,” head coach Jerod Mayo said Wednesday morning. “So, all those guys have to be ready to go, and they’ll all play.”
All four players said Wednesday that they’re unsure what roles they’ll play Week 1 against the Bengals under new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and that they’d have a better idea by Sunday.
“I think that’ll get more played out as the week goes on,” Osborn said. “I know that I’m a versatile player and that I can play everywhere. But I think until that game time comes, especially being in a new organization and kind of seeing how things are the same and different. It’ll take until the game time to see.”
Based on training camp practices, Douglas will likely be manning the slot, Thornton will be posted up at the “X” receiving role, and either Osborn or Polk will be starting in the “Z” role.
That’s at least until Kendrick Bourne returns. Bourne, who tore his ACL in October, will miss at least four weeks after spending the entire summer on the PUP list.
Polk said it “would mean a lot” to start,” but ultimately the rookie is a team player.
“Everybody on this team should want to start. I’m not worried about being a starter,” Polk said. “I could be the No. 4, I could be the No. 5 guy, I could be a practice squad guy. I think the biggest thing is just being where your feet are and being ready for your opportunity whenever it comes.”
It hurts to not have Bourne, the Patriots’ most dependable receiver, for Week 1, but the corps still appears to be in better shape heading into the 2024 season.
Patriots pass-catchers ranked dead last in average separation last season, per Next Gen Stats, at 3.0 yards per target. Parker was last in average separation among 139 qualified pass-catchers at 2.0 yards per target. Smith-Schuster also ranked low at 2.4 yards per target.
Osborn, meanwhile, ranked in the upper half of NFL receivers at 3.3 yards per target. Douglas led Patriots receivers last season at 3.1 yards per target.
If Osborn starts, it doesn’t mean that Polk won’t see the field. Osborn will need a rest at some point, as will Douglas and Thornton. And Osborn will likely be the wide receiver who will step into other roles.
“I think that’s a strength of my game,” Osborn said of his “unique” versatility. “I did the same thing in previous places, and I take pride in being able to play anywhere. …
“Different roles require different things. Whereas the ‘Z,’ you may be asked to be off the ball a lot, you may be coming down to crack block a lot, you’re on the play side. On the X, you may be pressed up backside with a lot of 1-on-1s. In the slot, you’re kind of weaving through coverages and things like that, finding the open spaces. It’s definitely a different game, they all have different blocking assignments. It can be a task.”
All four receivers expressed confidence in the group to make plays for their quarterbacks.
“We got a lot of dominant players that are really talented and have their own piece of a game that makes our room pretty special,” Polk said.
The Patriots’ wide receiver depth chart is filled out by 2023 sixth-round pick Kayshon Boutte and 2024 fourth-round pick Javon Baker, both of whom are expected to be backups based on training camp.
Boutte also said he doesn’t know what his role will be this season. “It’s not really tough not knowing, because that’s the kind of business the NFL is. It’s kind of like whatever your role is, whatever you’re asked, that’s what you gotta do, and whether you feel comfortable with it or not, we get paid a lot of money to do that. So, you’ve got to get it done.”
Among third-string wide receivers, Baker and Boutte both have high upside. Baker was one of college football’s most explosive wide receivers last season, averaging 21.9 yards per reception at UCF. He was a four-star recruit who transferred from Alabama. Boutte was a five-star recruit before attending LSU and was once viewed as a potential first-round pick.
Both come with some maturity questions, however. Baker was recently punished by the team for going live on Instagram after being pulled over by police. Boutte was arrested this offseason for underage gambling stemming from his time at LSU.
The team also has two wide receivers, 2020 first-round pick Jalen Reagor and late-summer waiver-claim Matt Landers, on their practice squad.
Reagor made the Patriots’ initial 53-man roster but was cut the next day after the team claimed four players. Landers was waived during roster cutdowns but signed to the practice squad the next day. The Patriots have the option to elevate either player to the active roster by Saturday at 4 p.m. ET.