Patriots Emerging as Contender for Pro Bowl WR: Report

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The New England Patriots passing game could use a boost if they want to improve their play and help the team compete for a playoff spot. It looks like the Pats are looking at all the options to improve their roster.

While the Patriots have the likes of DeVante Parker and Jakobi Meyers, New England’s passing game hasn’t been blowing the doors off of opponents. In five games so far this season, the Pats have thrown for 1,036 yards, four touchdowns, and six interceptions per Pro Football Reference. That is an average of just over 200 passing yards per game.

Parker was supposed to be the solution to New England’s passing problems, but he has struggled to find consistency so far as a Patriot. While some blame falls on Parker, it also has been difficult with the amount of turnover at the quarterback position for New England so far in 2022.

So far this season, Parker only has eight receptions for 189 yards and a single touchdown.

Who Could the Patriots Acquire?

On the free agent market, there is one major shoe that everyone is waiting to drop. NFL fans across the country want to know where Odell Beckham Jr. end up.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler believes that the Patriots are a contender for the veteran wide receiver.

“New England is worth watching because I’m told it heavily evaluated Beckham’s market early in free agency in March,” Fowler said. “Like most teams, it knew Beckham’s recovery would take a while, so talks never went anywhere.”

Beckham is still recovering from the torn ACL he suffered last February in Super Bowl LVI where the wide receiver won his first Super Bowl ring.

Fowler’s reporting comes on the heels of NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reporting that Beckham is aiming for a return in mid-November.

“Sources say the former Rams star WR is targeting the middle of November for his return to the field, meaning an imminent signing would be a major surprise,” Rapoport wrote. “Any team could lock Beckham up now and take him through the final stages of rehab, but a later signing is far more likely.”

Beckham is still a very capable wide receiver. The 29-year-old is coming off a 2021 campaign where he tallied 44 receptions for 537 yards and five touchdowns in the regular season per Pro Football Reference.

Patriots Waive WR

The Patriots did make some roster moves on Tuesday as they waived wide receiver, Lil’Jordan Humphrey. With rookie wide receiver Tyquan Thornton healthy, there is no room for Humphrey on the active roster.

Humphrey appeared in all five games so far this season and tallied two receptions for 20 yards per Pro Football Reference. If Humphrey clears waivers the expectation is that he will come back as a member of the Patriots practice squad.

“With rookie WR Tyquan Thornton off IR, the Patriots have some depth at receiver, which factors into the release of Lil’Jordan Humphrey,” Reiss tweeted. “Would anticipate Humphrey is a strong possibility to land back on the practice squad if he clears waivers.”