Will they let Bryd fly away or opt for Fuller free agent plan?
Tom Brady was driven out of New England for many reasons.
Sitting pretty high on the list was a lack of weapons.
Specifically, the receiving corps wasn’t good enough to win another championship. The same issue contributed to Cam Newton’s difficulties last season.
Upgrading the talent and depth at wide receiver should be one of the top priorities for the Patriots before the 2021 season, whether the quarterback is Newton or someone else.
Currently, the list of wideouts under contract and not headed
to free agency include Julian Edelman, Jakobi Meyers, N’Keal Harry, Gunner Olszewski and Marqise Lee.
Looking closer at the group, Edelman is not a given in terms of a return, and even if he does give it a go, there’s no guarantee his chronically troubled knee will hold up. Harry, their 2019 firstround pick, didn’t show any improvement in Year 2.
Meyers was the best of the lot, but he’d be even more effective if he wasn’t the No. 1 receiver. He led the team in receptions (59) and finished the season as the 21st-ranked receiver, according to Pro Football Focus.
All of this leads to free agency, and the Patriots spending some cash to make their receiving corps more of a threat. If reports are to be believed, the Pats are going to be “aggressive.” But to the point of chucking the usual road map?
We’ll see.
Assuming they go against type, and spend on a receiver, here’s three on my radar.
Plan A: All in on Will
The first choice in my book would be Allen Robinson, but he’s expected to get the franchise tag from the Bears. Ditto Kenny Golladay (Lions) and possibly Chris Godwin (Bucs). Still, there needs to be a shootfor-the-moon receiver. My choice? Will Fuller. It’s no secret, the Patriots need a No. 1. They need a big-time playmaker to lead the receiver group. And Fuller, who isn’t expected to get tagged, is the type of takethe-top-off-the defense threat the Patriots have been lacking in recent years. They need a weapon who will draw safety help deep, opening up avenues for others. Fuller fits the profile. And while he won’t be quite as expensive as Robinson, who would probably command a 4-year. $100 million deal on the open market, Fuller is still going to be expensive. But I’d sign him, add on from a receiver-rich draft, along with signing a stud tight end. That combination would pack a muchneeded punch.
Why Fuller over some of the other available non-tagged top guns, such as JuJu Smith-Schuster?
Having played in Bill O’Brien’s offense in Houston, Fuller would be familiar with the Patriots terminology and system. And that’s key. With another virtual offseason likely, that familiarity would help Fuller get up to speed more quickly than others.
On the downside, he still has to serve one remaining game from the six-game suspension he was hit with in November for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy. Basically he got caught taking a prescribed medication not permitted under the league’s policy. A mistake for sure, but not a deal-breaker.
In the 11 games he played last season, Fuller had 53 catches, 879 receiving yards, and eight receiving touchdowns. That’s four more TD catches than the entire group of Patriots receivers last season.
He’s a legitimate game-breaker who would immediately take the receiver group up another level.
Plan B: Samuel/Byrd combo
After Fuller, who is in a stratosphere the Patriots might not want to spend on a receiver, the Patriots could probably land two wideouts for his price tag. That might be more in their wheelhouse. In this scenario, landing Curtis Samuel and resigning Damiere Byrd works. Samuel’s appeal? For starters, if Bill Belichick happens to bring Newton back, the two have familiarity, having played together in Carolina. He’d also be a versatile chess piece for Josh McDaniels, playing multiple receiving spots in the Patriots offense. Re-signing Byrd, who is a free agent, is part of this equation because he’s 27, and was the only receiver (47 catches, 604 yards) who brought any speed to the table. He signed a one-year, $1.6 million deal. Giving him a bit of a pay bump shouldn’t break the Patriots. he Samuel/Byrd plan is a good start toward reviving the position. This past season, Samuel finished with a career-high 77 catches for 851 yards. The former running back also had 41 carries for 200 yards. Samuel was an effective chain-mover as Teddy Bridgewater’s most reliable target on third down.
Panthers OC Joe Brady, who was instrumental in Samuel’s breakout season, utilized him just about everywhere.
He’s 5-foot-11, 200 pounds and has the speed to beat defenses deep. He also has the quickness and route-running ability to get open quickly, right off the line.
The fact Samuel lacked consistent production his first three seasons will likely help drive his price down.
going Even to with command that, he’s a multi-year probably deal around $10 million to $11 million a year. With Edelman’s future in doubt, Samuel, who is 24, would be the perfect piece to add, along with keeping Byrd.