Patriots WR Room Catches Ugly Analysis for 2024 by CBS Sports

Despite the New England Patriots coming out of their most recent offseason with a few ammendments to their wide receiver group, many around the league are still skeptical as to what this unit will do in the 2024 season.

A successful draft, it's a group that seems to be on an upward trend looking towards the future, but some significant strides still need to be taken before we consider the Patriots to have one of the better weapons in the NFL.

New England failed to have a receiver secure over 600 yards across their last campaign, and without any big fish being landed during free agency or via trade at receiver, it's hard to see that mark execute a full 180 in a year.

CBS Sports laid down some significantly low expectations for the Patriots' WR room when stacked against the rest of the NFL during their latest rankings.

When taking a step back, New England ended up placing dead last when compared to the other 31 units across the league, with their pass catchers, being labeled as "one of their biggest holes" for next season:

The Patriots tried to land Calvin Ridley in free agency to establish a No. 1 receiver but were unsuccessful in that pursuit. As a result, that remains one of the biggest holes on their roster. Kendrick Bourne, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and K.J. Osborn are solid veterans, but the hope is that second-year receiver DeMario Douglas (slot) and rookies Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker emerge as viable starters.
Tyler Sullivan, CBS Sports

The Calvin Ridley sweepstakes didn't turn in the Patriots' favor, but the Patriots' outlook isn't all poor for their current set of pass catchers.

First-year players like Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker have the door wide open to enter as day-one contributors with a successful training camp and preseason, or we could even see returning veterans like Kendrick Bourne and JuJu Smith-Schuster put fans on notice for what should be a much healthier season than last. Pop Douglas also arises as a potentially massive target after a successful debut in 2022.

Sure, New England may not have an elite core of weapons as contenders like the Philadelphia Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals, or Miami Dolphins have recently put together in recent offseasons, but this is far from a one-year rebuilding process for this franchise.

If one of these candidates on the roster explodes onto the scene this coming season, that's great. Still, patience may just be key when projecting the near future of this New England offense.

The only way is up for these Patriots receivers next season, so be on the lookout for what the coming campaign holds for this new and refreshed group in 2024.

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