Patriots Add Inman to Intriguing Receiver Group

There isn’t much assured after Julian Edelman when it comes to Patriots wide receivers, but after adding Dontrelle Inman they now have a fascinating array of options to play a new key role.

Here’s how the group of ten break down:

Kent State class of 2019… we did it! 🎓 #13YearSenior pic.twitter.com/3uNwamnZkp— Julian Edelman (@Edelman11) May 11, 2019

Vets – Edelman, Phillip Dorsett

Just off graduating college, Edelman didn’t look like he lost a step in the playoffs last season. His age and position are worrisome, but until further notice let’s just assume Jules will be Jules. Dorsett chips in with timely catches here or there, but his ceiling would appear to be fourth receiver on the team. He’s an okay #4, but he’s not going to be the reliable #2/#3 they need to emerge.

Injured/Suspension Availability Questions – Demaryius Thomas (Achilles), Josh Gordon (pending suspension).

Thomas seems like a PUP possibility, though it sounds like he’s making good progress. Who knows what to expect from Gordon, I’m no podiatrist in Sydney. We saw Gordon immediately send Dorsett to the sidelines last year and there’s good reason to believe Thomas would do the same. At this point we’ll be lucky to have one of them healthy and unsuspended on January 1st.

Young Guns – N’Keal Harry, Braxton Berrios, Damoun Patterson, Jakoby Myers, Ryan Davis, Xavier Ubosi

Harry is a roster lock and just might make Thomas and Gordon less necessary if he can jump right in and stay healthy. It will be exciting to see how Josh McDaniels takes advantage of his size and after-catch skills. He should be a central part of the offensive focus this offseason. There would be nothing better for the Patriots if Berrios can step right in and take some heat off of Edelman at receiver and punt returner. He’s a huge question mark. Patterson spent last season on the practice squad so he has a leg up on the remaining three undrafted rookies.

Mid-Range Vets – Dontrelle Inman, Maurice Harris

Both Inman and Harris have had their moments in the NFL and both have exciting traits when projected into the Patriots offense, both being 6’3″. These are the kind of guys the Patriots often hit on, guys like Jabar Gaffney, Brandon LaFell and Chris Hogan. Either one could emerge as a significant piece of the offense. Maybe even both, but let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.

The Patriots are no strangers to turnover at receiver in recent years but you can’t say they haven’t tried. Plenty of first-round picks were thrown at the wall last year and almost none stuck. Hence, this is a really interesting year at receiver.

On paper, this group seems to have good depth and interesting matchups that will make for great camp battles. The size of the receivers is what stands out the most, so the biggest question is going to be if any of them can get open quickly enough for Brady.

That’s why Berrios might have a leg up for a spot. Ideally, someone emerges as a consistent outside threat to pair with Harry. Could be Thomas, Gordon, or possibly one of the mid-range vets. But the desire to focus on bigger-bodied receivers than they did in the pat seems evident.

The position is wide open for a number of spots, especially for September. The biggest key might just be staying healthy. Whoever is left running routes will be thrown in there right out of the gate.