As part of their rebuilding process, the New England Patriots are looking to build a team that can compete on both the offensive and defensive fronts of the game.
They tried improving their offensive game by taking Calvin Ridley from the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, the Tennessee Titans pulled off a surprising move to take him off the free-agent market.
With their primary wideout target officially out of reach, they are now looking reportedly turning their attention to a seasoned wide receiver who can help the team win a couple of games.
New England Patriots are reportedly interested in signing Tyler Boyd
The New England Patriots are reportedly interested in bringing over Cincinnati Bengals WR Tyler Boyd as an experienced receiver who can compete for the team’s WR1 position.
The Spun’s Andrew Gould reported that the team immediately turned their attention to him once their attempts to sign Ridley were unexpectedly spurned.
Gould wrote about Boyd’s situation in Cincy and why he would be incentivized to try his luck with the Patriots:
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’s WR room for 2024 needs help
The biggest reason behind the frantic WR chase for the New England Patriots is the subpar quality of their wide receiver corps. There isn’t a clear number-one wideout among the Pats after last season.
Hunter Henry is arguably the most effective wideout among the team’s 2023 roster with 406 yards and six touchdowns to his name. Demario Douglas led the team in receptions with 561 yards but didn’t score any touchdowns.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, who was supposed to become the centerpiece of Bill Belichick’s attack, didn’t even do much with 260 receiving yards and one touchdown over 11 regular-season games.
While some of the blame can be placed on the terrible QB play Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe showed throughout the year, it’s undeniable that the team’s wideouts should have performed better.
With such an open wide receiver room, it should come as no surprise if Boyd ends up as the top wideout for the Pats in 2024.
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