Not sure it's best to start a new thread and this seemed to be the next most logical place (it's about a Pats WR), but I think it's worth talking about the WR situation in more depth.
At the start of camp, the Pats had the following guys:
Edelman
Mitchell
Amendola
Hogan
Cooks
Hawkins
Lucien
Carr
C Hollister
White
Slater
That first group of five looked to be the best, deepest, and most talented WR group we've ever seen the Pats have. It seemed like it was an abundance of riches.
Edelman - injured, out for season
Mitchell - injured, hasn't played a snap
Amendola
Hogan - has been very good, now injured for who knows how long
Cooks
Hawkins - retired
Lucien - cut
Carr - cut
C Hollister - cut, now on practice squad
White - cut
Slater - primarily special teams guy
Dorsett - acquired in a trade for Brissett
McCarron - on practice squad
Kumerow - on practice squad
So from Edelman/Mitchell/Cooks/Amendola/Hogan/Slater to Amendola/Cooks/Dorsett/Slater/??/??. That's an enormous drop-off. One deep threat (Cooks) who doesn't appear to be running all the routes (though I imagine he's capable of them), one guy who is primarily an underneath guy (Amendola) with an injury history, a guy with blazing speed who hardly ever plays (Dorsett), and a special teams guy.
So much for the incredible depth and talent at the WR position. I don't know that the practice squad offers much help. Possible solutions include a trade (Bryant from Pit or Calvin Johnson from Det if they can convince him to unretire, or maybe a much lesser acquisition), a PS promotion, or a free agent pickup (Boldin?). Right now it's not about finding the ideal guy, but rather just finding a decent quality guy. To me, Boldin might make the most sense. Reliable veteran, shouldn't cost much, won't require you to give up anything in a deal, he and BB seemed to have mutual interest at one point, still has great hands and is tough as nails, and is a leadership-type guy.
At the start of camp, the Pats had the following guys:
Edelman
Mitchell
Amendola
Hogan
Cooks
Hawkins
Lucien
Carr
C Hollister
White
Slater
That first group of five looked to be the best, deepest, and most talented WR group we've ever seen the Pats have. It seemed like it was an abundance of riches.
Edelman - injured, out for season
Mitchell - injured, hasn't played a snap
Amendola
Hogan - has been very good, now injured for who knows how long
Cooks
Hawkins - retired
Lucien - cut
Carr - cut
C Hollister - cut, now on practice squad
White - cut
Slater - primarily special teams guy
Dorsett - acquired in a trade for Brissett
McCarron - on practice squad
Kumerow - on practice squad
So from Edelman/Mitchell/Cooks/Amendola/Hogan/Slater to Amendola/Cooks/Dorsett/Slater/??/??. That's an enormous drop-off. One deep threat (Cooks) who doesn't appear to be running all the routes (though I imagine he's capable of them), one guy who is primarily an underneath guy (Amendola) with an injury history, a guy with blazing speed who hardly ever plays (Dorsett), and a special teams guy.
So much for the incredible depth and talent at the WR position. I don't know that the practice squad offers much help. Possible solutions include a trade (Bryant from Pit or Calvin Johnson from Det if they can convince him to unretire, or maybe a much lesser acquisition), a PS promotion, or a free agent pickup (Boldin?). Right now it's not about finding the ideal guy, but rather just finding a decent quality guy. To me, Boldin might make the most sense. Reliable veteran, shouldn't cost much, won't require you to give up anything in a deal, he and BB seemed to have mutual interest at one point, still has great hands and is tough as nails, and is a leadership-type guy.