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A talented wide receiver deserving a spot on the team will be cut or traded by the New England Patriots this month.
Just a week ago we were talking about the Patriots reception room in "yews". If Julian Edelman's thumb could heal, if Josh Gordon was reinstated, if Demaryius Thomas was activated off the physical disability list, then the Patriots would have a group of stacked wide receivers.
Since that time, Edelman has been activated out of NFI, Gordon has been reinstated conditionally and Thomas has been removed from the PUP list. So here's what the Patriots Wide reception room looks like:
Braxton Berrios
Ryan Davis
Phillip Dorsett
Julian Edelman
Josh Gordon (NFI)
Maurice Harris
N'Keal Harry
Cameron Meredith (PUP)
Jakobi Meyers
Artilleryman Olszewski
Damoun Patterson
Matthew Slater
Assuming Gordon leaves NFI before the start of the season and Meredith stays on PUP, the Patriots have very difficult cuts.
Think of cold wicks like Edelman, Gordon, Harry and Slater.
In the past, Slater has participated in extensive receiver exercises at training camp. This was not the case this summer. The Patriots traditionally keep six wide receivers, including Slater, on their initial list of 53 men.
If we consider Slater a failure, two other players would form the team. If this is not the case, the Patriots could keep three other players.
The favorite out of the locks (Berrios, Davis, Dorsett, Harris, Meyers, Olszewski and Patterson) is Meyers. The wide un-drawn receiver outperformed Harry at his first training camp. He was automatic in two pre-season games and played the first Patriots team offensive for most of the summer. He has had so far one of the best summers we have ever seen with an unprepared Patriots rookie.
The next in this list would be Thomas. The Patriots do not have much time to work with Thomas because he started the summer on PUP. It could well be the next Eric Decker, Reggie Wayne or Nate Washington. But it would serve as a strong enough assurance as a heavy catcher in case Gordon could not stay in the field or if Harry could not get acclimated fast enough.
Dorsett would be a close third. He knows the offense and begins his third season with the Patriots, but he failed to pass Chris Hogan on the chart of depths last year. He is reliable. Quarterback Tom Brady completed 76.2% of his goals against Dorsett last season. And it came in big at times last season. He scored two touchdowns in the playoff series of the Patriots. But his potential is not the same as that of players like Meyers or Thomas.
After these three players, we will rank the other players 1. Harris, 2. Berrios, 3. Olszewski, 4. Patterson, 5. Davis.
The Patriots could also choose to keep Gordon on NFI for the first six weeks of the season. It's a little risky, but it could also serve as a trial period for Gordon to prove that he can stay clean. The Patriots could either try to get Gordon out, as long as he stays in the right path, or give him six weeks to prove himself. With Edelman and Thomas in good health and Meyers, Dorsett, Harris and Berrios also on the depth chart, the Patriots would have enough body to suck the water until Gordon returns.
Whatever the case may be, the Patriots will have tough decisions to make before August 31, when they will have to reduce their squad from 90 to 53 players.
Photo thumbnail Ron Chenoy / USA TODAY Sports Images
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