Patriots Training Camp Battle Preview: Wide Receiver

After left tackle, there’s no more interesting position on the Patriots roster than wide receiver. After a major turnover in 2013, the Pats are once again looking at another evolution in 2018. Tom Brady hasn’t ever blinked before, managing to win even when those catching his throws had unimpressive names like Reche Caldwell, Kenbrell Thompkins and Brandon Lloyd.

Now, at 40, Brady will once again have to find a new set of go-to targets after the departures of Danny Amendola and Brandin Cooks, the pending suspension of 32-year-old Julian Edelman and the recurring absences of promising 2016 rookie Malcolm Mitchell. The Patriots have done well to prepare for this transition, going back into last season, but who clicks with Brady and can stay healthy is a near-impossible thing to predict.

Here’s a rundown of the wide receiver camp battle and who the favorites are to become the next clutch receivers.

The Returners

The top line of returning receivers is a great one and really, if everyone gets and stays healthy, the receiving corps won’t look all that different than 2016’s SB51-winning squad did. The pivotal piece is Julian Edelman. Returning from an ACL tear, facing a suspension and getting close to the expires by date for receivers, this season is a huge question mark for the already-legendary receiver. But if he’s good to go for 12 games plus playoffs and hasn’t lost too much of his quickness, the Patriots offense will be fine. Really, the suspension might be the best thing that could happen for Edelman. He gets extra time to recover while not costing a roster spot, while forcing the Patriots to lean on and develop new weapons.

Chris Hogan should return to more of an outside, X-receiver role this season, the one that he excelled at in 2016 before Cooks bumped him down the depth chart a bit and Edelman’s absence forced him into more of an inside role. The combo of Edelman and Hogan is a really good one, and if they can find one more guy who can make the tough, clutch catches, the offense should be better than last year’s squad which fell to 10th in the league on third down.

Phillip Dorsett was added last year and didn’t do much (12 catches), but there were a lot of reports how much the team liked him and how well he fit in. Of course, you always take those with a grain of salt, but perhaps he’s the one who made Cooks expendable. Dorsett has speed and talent that made him a first-round pick, but he’ll need to hit that potential this summer or else he could be jettisoned. He’s a true wild card.

Kenny Britt was added for the final three games of last season and had his option picked up this offseason. The vet did have a 1,000-yard receiving season with the Rams in 2016 and has the kind of size the rest of the receivers don’t. He’s another wild card and after making some positive plays in OTAs he could be going head-to-head with Dorsett to be a second outside receiver with Hogan.

Malcolm Mitchell was one of the most promising rookie receivers ever to play with Tom Brady, but after a lost second season and now being missing for a large part of OTAs, I’m starting to wonder if he’ll ever be fully healthy again. His knees were an issue when he was drafted and it appears they might put an early end to a promising career. If Mitchell can somehow start training camp not on the PUP list it will be a major victory and the first positive sign we’ve had with him since Super Bowl 51.

The Slot Free-For-All

The competition to replace Danny Amendola starts with free agent signee Jordan Matthews, a bigger slot receiver who has never played with a quarterback like Tom Brady. Matthews is a guy I’ve constantly mentioned this offseason. Matthews had a down year after being traded from Philly to Buffalo last year, but does have 250 catches in his first four seasons. If he clicks with Brady he could be on the verge of a breakout season, making things easier on Julian Edelman and giving Brady another big inside target in the red zone.

Braxton Berrios is a more traditional fit at slot receiver. The sixth-round pick checks all the boxes that traditionally come with the position but rookies who can step in and gain Brady’s trust are rare — Deion Branch, Julian Edelman and Malcolm Mitchell are the short list. With so many experienced receivers on the roster, Berrios will have to play out of his mind to stand out and win a roster spot, but he sure fits the mold.

Riley McCarron and Cody Hollister both spent most of last season on the practice squad. Hollister is big (6’4″) while McCarron is another 5’9″ guy that we’re used to seeing in the slot. The year of experience in the system should help both, but without any draft status their best bet might be getting onto the practice squad for another season. Knocking off one of the former first rounders would be an incredible accomplishment, but it’s good to know the Patriots have some depth is a receiver injury apocalypse strikes.

Then there’s Cordarrelle Patterson, who I view as a near roster lock simply because of his return skills. I think he’ll have a handful of plays on offense every game but won’t be an every down receiver. I see him both above and outside the receiver discussion and would be shocked if the Pats need to lean on him for significant receiver snaps.

How It Plays Out

In a perfect no-injury world, the Patriots receiving corps at the end of the season features Hogan and Edelman as the full-time guys, with Matthews coming on in 11 personnel packages and Britt as a reliable change-up option on the outside and Berrios developing behind the scenes. It’s tough to knock Dorsett and Mitchell out, but it’s impossible for a former first-rounder to not get cut from this group.

There are so many ways things could go. That’s a good problem to have and hopefully, the Patriots offense will reap the benefits of the most intriguing receiver training camp battle ever.