Breer: There’s ‘something messed up’ in Patriots reception room originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
It’s no secret that the New England Patriots lack wide receiver talent. But few could have expected that this.
The Patriots’ wideouts have been a disaster, to say the least, this season. Their most “productive” receiver, DeMario Douglas, ranks 73rd in the NFL with just 306 yards in nine games. Kayshon Boutte (203 meters) is the only other receiver with more than 100 meters on the counter seasonwhile second-round rookie Ja’Lynn Polk has caught just 10 of his 24 targets for 78 yards and had another tough performance Sunday in the Patriots’ overtime loss to the Tennessee Titans. (Fourth-round rookie Javon Baker, meanwhile, has yet to catch an NFL pass.)
And that’s just on the field; Off the court, Polk attracted unwanted attention by bragging that he had the “best hands in the league.” Osborn seemed to suggest he wouldn’t mind being traded, and Baker was disciplined by the team after criticizing a police officer on Instagram Live. after receiving a traffic fine.
So yes. It’s bad. But what’s most concerning is that, for the most part, the performances and behavior of the Patriots’ receivers have not matched their reputations. Which leads Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer to believe something is wrong.
“Something is happening in that room,” Breer said on NBC Sports Boston’s Sports Sundayas seen in the video player above. “Because Ja’Lynn Polk’s (of the NFL Draft) reputation was pristine. Somebody’s dragging everyone down. There’s no accountability in that room.
“(Kendrick) Bourne was a pretty decent soldier for the most part before that. KJ Osborn had a great reputation in Minnesota. Ja’Lynn Polk came into the draft with incredible character reviews. There’s something in that room.”
The Patriots could suffer from a lack of veteran presence at the position. Bourne and Osborn are the only wideouts with more than two full seasons of NFL experience, but Bourne missed the entire preseason and the first four regular season games after undergoing knee surgery, while Osborn did not join the team until March.
This relatively green group is led by first-year receivers coach Tyler Hughes, who coached high school football in Utah five years ago and entered the season with just three seasons of NFL experience (offensive assistant with the Patriots from 2020 to 2022). . Both Breer and Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal agreed that this is not an ideal combination.
“I think part of it probably has to do with having a position coach as inexperienced as Tyler Hughes. It’s not a good situation,” Breer said.
“Everyone in the league said it’s a volatile mix,” Bedard added. “And because Tyler Hughes was inexperienced, there were a lot of questions about that room.”
It is possible that the reception area will come from New England more inexperienced over the next 24 hours as both Osborn and Tyquan Thornton have attracted interest ahead of Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, according to Breer. But considering what has plagued this group so far this season, it could benefit the Patriots to consider adding an “adult in the room” as a receiver, even if it means giving up their draft capital.
The Patriots should do everything they can to support talented starting quarterback Drake Maye going forward, and that should start with revamping a disastrous receiver room.
