What Marqise Lee Brings to Table For Patriots
The New England Patriots didn't wait for the 2020 NFL Draft to bolster their receiving room.
Thursday morning the team inked a one-year deal with veteran receiver Marqise Lee, formerly of the Jacksonville Jaguars, which is the same team that drafted him in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. The complete terms of the deal are still unknown, but it's odd to think New England wanted Lee so bad that they couldn't wait until after the draft to sign him. Nevertheless, with $1.10 in available cap space the Patriots opted to sign Lee, which gives us a clearer picture as to what positions they may target in the draft.
But why Lee?
I asked my colleague John Shipley over at SI's Jaguar Report what I should know about Lee. Here is the gist of what he said:
Marqise Lee has six games played and three catches in two years. He's had injury issues his entire career (knee and shoulder issues sidelined him in 2018 and 2019, respectively). Lee is not a deep threat, but he can win along the sideline. He's more of an underneath/intermediate target because he's more quick than fast. He's also an amazing blocker on the boundary.
Lee had 174 receptions for 2,184 yards and eight touchdowns in five seasons with the Jaguars. 2019 marked his worst season to-date; he played in six total games (went on IR in late October) and caught three passes for 18 yards. One of his best seasons to-date was in 2017, when he caught 56 balls for 702 yards and three touchdowns.
Adding a player of Lee's talent into the mix to spark an even stronger competition this summer at wideout is a standard move by Bill Belichick. That position lacks overall depth in New England, so adding Lee - who is presumably one a cheap deal - is a low risk, high reward option for them. However, it is intriguing to see that Lee is also an exceptional boundary blocker, which could prove vital if Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels opt to take a run-heavy approach with whichever quarterback they put under center.
Having Lee in the receiver room now may shake up the Patriots' plans in the draft, which is set to begin later today. While they weren't expected to draft a pass-catcher in the first round, it would have made sense for them to grab one or two receivers in the mid-to-late rounds, especially since they have so many draft picks at those points in the draft. But with Lee in town now, the amount of players they may draft at the position can be sized down to just one, if one at all.
