Patriots New Free-Agent Acquisition Called Team’s ‘Weakest Link’

Getty Nelson Agholor

No matter the situation, it’s never good to be the weakest link in any chain.

That’s exactly what the New England Patriots‘ newly signed free-agent wide receiver Nelson Agholor has been called by one NFL analyst.

The Patriots’ record is a disappointing 2-4 and whenever that happens, the blame is going to be spread around. Apparently, it’s Agholor’s term to feel the burn.

Nelson Agholor Has Failed to Make a Major Impact

Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton called out Agholor as the team’s “weakest link,” citing several reasons why the man who signed a lucrative two-year deal in the offseason hasn’t played up to expectations.

Moton wrote:

Nelson Agholor revived his career with the Las Vegas Raiders last year, catching 48 passes for a career-high 896 yards and eight touchdowns. He parlayed that breakout season into a two-year, $22 million contract with the New England Patriots in free agency this past offseason. However, through six games, Agholor has only 17 catches for 224 yards and a touchdown. He’s playing with a rookie quarterback in Mac Jones, but so is wideout Jakobi Meyers, who’s hauled in 36 passes for 346 yards. Agholor plays far more snaps (76 percent) than Kendrick Bourne (56 percent), but the latter has been slightly more productive, logging 18 receptions for 282 yards and two touchdowns. Even though Jones needs time to develop a rapport with his pass-catching group, Agholor hasn’t made enough plays during his time on the field. He’s fourth on the team in both receptions and yards. With the Raiders, Nelson played like a No. 1 wide receiver who can elevate a quarterback. However, he’s been an afterthought in the Patriots’ aerial attack.

Agholor was supposed to provide the Patriots with a reliable deep threat, but the 28-year-old hasn’t had a reception of longer than 30 yards this season. Some of that can’t be blamed on Agholor.

The Patriots simply haven’t thrown the ball deep very often this season. Rookie QB Mac Jones has only attempted 23 passes of 20 yards or more all season. He has completed just eight of those throws with an especially inaccurate 25% completion rate with throwing outside left, per Pro Football Focus.

While there is no disputing Agholor’s lack of impact on the offense, some of the blame should fall on Jones for not taking more chances and for being a little less than accurate when looking long–which is where Agholor was supposed to make his presence felt.

What Have the Patriots Gotten From Their Biggest Free-Agent Pick-Ups?

While the Patriots haven’t gotten much from Agholor, they have seen a decent amount of production from tight end Hunter Henry and edge defender Matt Judon.

After a slow start, Henry now has TD receptions in each of the last three games. His targets dipped dramatically in the Week 6 overtime loss to the Dallas Cowboys, but Henry made the most of his opportunities.

He had only two targets, but he caught both balls and one landed him in the end zone for a TD. On the season, Henry has 22 receptions for 241 yards and the three scores.

Judon has been even more productive. His 6.5 sacks through six games has him tied for the third-most in the NFL behind only Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt. The hope is that before the season is done, Agholor will provide some moments that makes Patriots fans happy their team signed the wide receiver to a deal.

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