Patriots Need to Acquire One Starting Receiver In Free Agency.

The Patriots should consider signing a free agent as long as they don't break the bank. Jakobi Meyers is the Patriots number one but he’s a free agent and the Patriots probably won't pay him. If they don't, they will need more than one receiver as Meyers was the closest thing to a true slot receiver that they had. Thorton is a deep slot not an outside burner and that's what they need.

Fans come at me all the time when I say that the Patriots cannot develop receivers. Chicago is quarterback purgatory and for rookie wideouts, so is new england. Tyquan Thornton is still in development but look at their last decade of receiver draft picks.

Tre Nixon 2021 no career stats

N'Keal Harry 2019 40 games, 64 catches, 714 yards, 5 touchdowns 

Braxton Berrios 2018 no Patriots stats

Malcolm Mitchell 2016 14 games, 32 catches, 401 yards, 4 touchdowns

Devin Lucien 2016 no career stats

Jeremy Gallon 2014 no career stats

Aaron Dobson 2013 24 games, 54 catches 698 yards, 4 touchdowns 

Josh Boyce 2013 10 games, 9 catches, 121 yards

Jeremy Ebert 2012 5 games, 3 catches, 18 yards

Taylor Price 2010 4 games, 3 catches, 41 yards.

Both Harry and Dobson were high draft picks, and although the Patriots gave up a year sooner on Dobson, they put up near equal productivity. And we're bust due to their high draft selections. Price being a third round pick is also a big failure.

Malcolm Mitchell like Dobson had one good season, however his knees were shot. And one can only speculate the trajectory of his career. He could've followed the career path of Dobson for all we know. 

Now the Patriots did develop Jakobi Meyers but here's the thing. Meyers wasn't a draft pick and that matters. When the Patriots are supposed to be acquiring talent, they fail and need free agency. And that's how Meyers started his career. An undrafted free agent.

I liked Agholor but fans had too high of expectations for him. I would love to see how Bill O'Brien would use him. However, I do not see him being the threat fans want. If the Patriots can acquire an outside deep threat at receiver they need to do so without sacrificing all of their cap or their future in terms of picks.

I wish the Patriots could go into their 2023 season with the same receiving core they entered 2022 with but I don't see that happening. Currently they have a slow bug body X in Parker, a gadget Z in Bourne and a thin body utility / deep slot receiver in Thorton. What they're missing is a better version of Agholor and Meyers or a quicker version of him. And odds are they ain't developing their needs if they draft it.