New England Patriots Wide Receiver Breakdown

Since 2007 the Patriots have lacked a deep threat, but that has been replaced with slot receivers catching 100 balls every season. We take a look at the top three WR's of the Patriots


Julian Edelman

Edelman since Wes Welker's departure has really thrived into his own. He shows great toughness, route running and quickness. Some would argue that Edelman is a lot quicker than Wes. Edelman brings much more to the table than just playing the slot receiver. He lines outside nearly 50% of plays. He is also a very capable punt returner. This season he caught 92 balls in 14 games for 992 Yards and four scores. Edelman is under contract for another 3 seasons and could really deepen his legacy has a Patriot if he continues such success.

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Brandon LaFell 

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Brandon LaFell addition to the New England Patriots this season proved well. He is under contract for another two seasons and should continue to thrive playing with a QB like Tom Brady. For the first time since 2007 the Patriots had a legitimate outside the number presence. But what makes LaFell so valuable is his versatility has he can line up anywhere on offense. Its also a plus that LaFell really developed a nice chemistry with Brady over the season. It was highly noticeable when the started to hook up on back shoulder fades for touchdowns. Brandon caught 74 balls for 953 yards and added seven touchdowns. 

Danny Amendola 

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Many would argue Danny Amendola is a waste of money but I would disagree. Amendola over the course of the 2014 season really caught on. The chemistry with Brady is highly noticeable. Amendola does everything asked for the patriots. He took over the Kick Returning role, when Edelman went down he proved his worth and in the post season he caught three touchdown passes. I wouldn't expect Danny going anywhere anytime soon but I do expect the Patriots to ask him to restructure his deal to open some cap space. 

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Aaron Dobson and Bryan Tyms, not much here. Dobson since his the end of his rookie season has been a disappoint always being hurt and not really having a chance to do anything on the offense. Tyms to me is a mystery. He was trained by Randy Moss and in a way show some glimpse of him. He caught a 45 yard touchdown pass over triple coverage as he out leaped and out ran every defender on a post pattern. Other than that Tyms didn't see much time so I have to wonder what is he really capable of?