The New England Patriots will pivot to other free-agent wide receivers after failing to sign Calvin Ridley.
While New England was rumored to be the biggest threat to lure Ridley away from the Jacksonville Jaguars, he instead signed with the Tennessee Titans on Wednesday. The Patriots reportedly have their eyes on another available pass-catcher.
Per MassLive’s Mark Daniels, the Patriots are interested in Tyler Boyd.
Although not as flashy an option as Ridley, Boyd would still represent an upgrade for New England’s current receiving corps.
Boyd caught 67 of 98 targets for 667 yards and two touchdowns in his eighth season with the Cincinnati Bengals. That represented his lowest yardage tally since 2017, but DeMario Douglas led the Pats with 561 receiving yards in 2023.
He was also Cinncinati’s clear third option between Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins and played the final seven games of the season without Joe Burrow. Boyd exceeded 1,000 yards in 2018 and 2019 before those star teammates arrived.
New England signed JuJu Smith-Schuster to replace Jakobi Meyers last offseason, but the former Pittsburgh Steelers star got lost in the shuffle with a career-low 260 yards. The Patriots are also bringing back Kendrick Bourne, who registered 406 yards and four touchdowns before tearing his ACL in Week 8.
Boyd would give New England another experienced target who has flourished in the slot. He’d potentially catch passes from Jacoby Brissett, who returned to Foxborough on a one-year deal this week.
However, the Patriots are also a strong candidate to draft a quarterback with the No. 3 pick.