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The New England Patriots are going to add receivers in the offseason through free agency and the draft.
Perhaps even Bill Belichick doesn’t know the exact formula he’ll use to try to cure what ails the team’s suddenly anemic passing game. One Patriots beat writer called an underrated free agent a fit for New England’s system.
Could he be the next true No. 1 receiver to wear a Patriots uniform?
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Curtis Samuel a Fit in New England
The Providence Journal’s Mark Daniels used ESPN’s Field Yates’ tweet about Carolina Panthers WR Curtis Samuel (and former Cam Newton teammate) as a springboard into some wishful thinking.
Though a little on the small side at 5’11” 195 pounds, Samuel definitely played big when he got opportunities in 2020. He finished the season with a career-high 70 receptions, 733 receiving yards, and he scored 5 times. The Panthers only played him on a little more than two-thirds of their snaps despite the fact that he proved to be one of the team’s top playmakers.
In the Panthers coaches’ defense, Roddy Anderson and D.J. Moore are tough to sit. Still, it would seem Samuel should have been on the field whenever the team played with at least three wide receivers. In any case, Samuel has the look of one of the Patriots’ signature slot receivers in the mold of Wes Welker, Julian Edelman, and Deion Branch.
He has proven to be shifty at the line of scrimmage and dynamic after the catch. That’s just the kind of playmaker the Patriots could have used in their offense in 2020.
Samuel has been in the NFL for four seasons, but he is still only 24 years old. He has yet to have a 1,000-yard season which could help to keep his free-agent price tag in a range where the Patriots feel comfortable.
Do not be surprised if Samuel turns into one of the better free-agent signings this season, no matter who inks him
The Bigger Free-Agent Names
Many Patriots fans have been fantasizing about the Chicago Bears’ Allen Robinson all year. The Bears didn’t sign Robinson to an extension and will instead risk losing him after their postseason run comes to an end.
The Patriots’ name will be mentioned repeatedly in association with Robinson until he signs on the dotted line somewhere. The Detroit Lions’ Kenny Golladay is another of the bigger free-agent wide receiver names that will be available. There is an injury concern with Golladay. He’s coming off a season that saw him miss 11 games. That’s always troubling the year ahead of free agency, but over his four-year career, Golladay has exceeded 1,000 receiving yards in a season twice. In 2019, his 11 touchdown receptions led the NFL.
If the Patriots are able to bring Golladay to New England, he will be the unquestioned No. 1 receiver. Both Robinson and Golladay will command a much larger salary than Samuel and both are more No-1-style receivers.
Because the Patriots are sitting on more than $63 million in cap space, who knows, perhaps the team could afford to lock up Robinson or Golladay and Samuel. We’ll have to wait and see how aggressive Belichick wants to be as he tries to bounce back from a disappointing season.
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