Best available veteran WRs for Patriots if they don’t sign Calvin Ridley originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Calvin Ridley is the best wide receiver available on the NFL’s free agent market, and the two teams that reportedly have the best chance to sign him are the Jacksonville Jaguars (his 2023 team) and New England Patriots.
The Patriots badly need an upgrade at wide receiver. They only have Kendrick Bourne, DeMario Douglas, Tyquan Thornton, Kayshon Boutte and JuJu Smith-Schuster on their depth chart right now.
New England could take a wide receiver on Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft, but even in that scenario, this team still needs another dependable veteran who can stretch the field.
If Ridley doesn’t come to Foxboro, which other veteran wide receivers could the Patriots target in free agency and the trade market? Here’s a list of the best options.
Free agents
Marquise Brown, Cardinals
Brown would add lots of speed to the Patriots passing attack. The athletic wideout tallied 51 receptions for 574 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games for the Cardinals last season. His best year came in 2013 as a member of the Ravens when he set career highs with 91 receptions and 1,008 yards. Brown’s stats from last season don’t jump off the page, but he was on one of the league’s worst teams and Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murry only played in eight games due to injury.
Tyler Boyd, Bengals
Boyd has been a very productive and consistent slot receiver for the Bengals. He has averaged 72.8 receptions and 862 yards over the last six seasons despite being the No. 3 option in the Cincinnati passing attack for much of that time.
K.J. Osborn, Vikings
Osborn has averaged 52.6 receptions and 615 yards over three pro seasons, while also totaling 15 touchdown catches. He’s also been pretty durable, playing in 50 of a possible 51 regular season games for Minnesota. He’s not a No. 1 or No 2 wideout on a contending team, but would be a strong No. 3 and a dependable target in the passing game.
Trade…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/best-available-veteran-wrs-patriots-140706887.html
Author : NBC Sports Boston
Publish date : 2024-03-13 14:14:40
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