Another one bit the dust on Sunday with Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton pulling wide receiver Jerry Jeudy off the trade table. Whether his intentions were due to Jeudy legitimately not being available for trade or the Broncos failing to get what they wanted and bailing is irrelevant.
The fact remains that the New England Patriots will have to look elsewhere for a true No. 1 wideout.
Yes, the options out there are dwindling greatly, but the Patriots are still in a position where they can add a wideout through free agency or the 2023 NFL draft.
The latter is seeming like the more likely scenario with the skyrocketing prices at the receiver position. But going the draft path could be tricky when coach Bill Belichick has whiffed too many times to count when selecting a receiver. The fact that he just spent a second-round draft pick on Tyquan Thornton in 2022 and we’re still talking about spending another second or even a first-round pick at the position is telling.
It’s hard to trust Belichick to take another swing in the second round. The umpire has yelled “strike” enough times to make every Patriots fan’s ears bleed at this point.
However, if taking a receiver in the draft really is the plan, then the Patriots should go after Jaxon Smith-Njigba or Zay Flowers with the No. 14 overall pick. They need more than just size on the outside. The Patriots need an explosive route-runner with the ability to separate consistently.
They need a real playmaker on offense.
Taking a receiver at No. 14 will keep the blinders on Belichick and force him to consider the top options, rather than reaching for another player that ultimately fails to pan out. Thinking too much made him draft N’Keal Harry over Deebo Samuel and A.J. Brown.
As far as veteran options are concerned, Odell Beckham Jr. is still listed as a free agent, although he might currently be eyeing the New York Jets. DeAndre Hopkins is still on the trade block as well, but his expensive contract coupled with the Arizona Cardinals’ high asking price is a bit rich for a player turning 31 years old before the start of the season.
There’s also the possibility that the Patriots are exactly where they want to be right now. The team has improved on paper with the signings of wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster, tight end Mike Gesicki and running back James Robinson. If Thornton takes off in his second year, it would change everything for the Patriots.
He did show flashes with Matt Patricia calling the offensive plays, even if they were few and far in between.
Tyquan Thornton had a quiet first game, but I wouldn’t expect that to last.
Thornton lined up at multiple spots and used suddenness + pace to create consistent separation vs the Lions’ press-man scheme.
Also saw flashes of the affect his presence has on deep safeties pic.twitter.com/FR0JTefw9s
— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) October 11, 2022
Imagine what Thornton could be with Bill O’Brien at the wheel as the new offensive coordinator. Maybe, just maybe, the Patriots already have everything they need.