The Patriots roster, though it has made significant upgrades since the hiring of coach Mike Vrabel, still has holes. There are more warm bodies to be found, no doubt, and there are now players who qualify as competent in places where there was no competency before. But still, there are some positions at which the team lacking top talent.
The wide receiver room is a good example. There are more bodies in place, and there will be tough cuts. But just how good the team is at the top of the receiver depth chart–WR1 Stefon Diggs is coming off an ACL tear, after all, and it’s unclear who WR2 is–is questionable. Therefore, a kneejerk reaction in looking for a place to add to this team will generally lead an observer to the receiver spot.
But, again, any receiver added to the current group would have to be a noticeable improvement over decent-to-good options already in place, like incumbents Kendrick Bourne, DeMario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte. Those players are hard to find, especially in June, as well as expensive.
At Fox Sports, though, there’s one that’s being mentioned: former Raiders/Cowboys/Browns/Bills receiver Amari Cooper.
Patriots Receiver Room Needs Talent, Not More Bodies
This comes from Carmen Vitale, who writes, “I’m buying Patriots stock now. I think they’re on one of the most fun upward trajectories of anyone. That has a lot to do with quarterback Drake Maye and how much he proved the Pats right last year when he finally took over. Why not get him another weapon, especially a vet, to round out his receiver room? Potential acquisition: Amari Cooper.”
While it’s hard to argue that the Patriots could use a sure thing in the receiving group, it is a little more questionable to consider Cooper the choice.
Cooper is just two years removed from a 1,250-yard season, which he accomplished in Cleveland, when he made his fifth Pro Bowl. Last year was a different story, though. He hit 30 years old, was traded from a miserable situation with the Browns and moved on to an excellent situation in Buffalo, where he looked like the missing piece on a potential Super Bowl team.
But Cooper never clicked with the Bills, and by the time the playoffs came, he was limited to just six catches and 41 yards in three games.
Thus, it is hard to say how much Cooper has left in the tank at this point, and whether adding him to an already crowded mix–in which he is not demonstrably better than other New England options–is much of an improvement at all.
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