Former Viking has 158 catches in 3 years. 26 years old.
https://x.com/tompelissero/status/1769455928342938008?s=46
https://x.com/tompelissero/status/1769455928342938008?s=46
Patriots sign WR KJ Osborn
- Thread starter jsinger121
- Start date
The Athletic has him as the #124 free agent in this year's class, and has this to say:
Osborn had a disappointing season, dropping seven passes, according to PFF. But he was rarely the primary read, and he’s a strong blocker and runner after the catch. He’s probably in line for a short-term deal between $5 million and $8 million. — Alec Lewis
https://theathletic.com/5326462/2024/03/15/best-available-nfl-free-agents/
Osborn had a disappointing season, dropping seven passes, according to PFF. But he was rarely the primary read, and he’s a strong blocker and runner after the catch. He’s probably in line for a short-term deal between $5 million and $8 million. — Alec Lewis
https://theathletic.com/5326462/2024/03/15/best-available-nfl-free-agents/
Interesting pickup.
5th rounder in 2020, played ST only that year.
2021- 655 yards on 82 targets, despite being under 6' they used him as a downfield thread (10.5 ADOT) probably because he's pretty strong and an excellent vert.
2022- 650 yards on 90 targets, changed up his route package some, shorter ADOT but more YAC
2023- bit of a down year 540 on 75 targets, some of that could be the QB carousel, but he also had some drop issues for the first time.
RAS comps are Percy Harvin and Sterling Shepard.
I'm intrigued, he's been stuck in a tertiary role, kind of like Bourne, good floor, maybe a breakout candidate to join the #2 WR ranks
5th rounder in 2020, played ST only that year.
2021- 655 yards on 82 targets, despite being under 6' they used him as a downfield thread (10.5 ADOT) probably because he's pretty strong and an excellent vert.
2022- 650 yards on 90 targets, changed up his route package some, shorter ADOT but more YAC
2023- bit of a down year 540 on 75 targets, some of that could be the QB carousel, but he also had some drop issues for the first time.
RAS comps are Percy Harvin and Sterling Shepard.
I'm intrigued, he's been stuck in a tertiary role, kind of like Bourne, good floor, maybe a breakout candidate to join the #2 WR ranks
NFL.com was higher, 64th overall 6th WR
The author of many clutch moments over the last two seasons, Osborn showed the ability to step up as a quality starter when necessary. He’s a good No. 3 option with room to grow.
Yeah, the Bourne acquisition a few years ago immediately came to mind. They’ll probably have several draft picks on the roster, and who knows if we ever see Boutte again, so adding another vet you know is at least playable is a good idea.
Here is his best game as a pro.
View: https://twitter.com/Winnesota18/status/1769461352219754893
One thing that really stands out is... 5'11 203 he's strong (even at the combine really good bench and vert) he runs through arm tackles. Feel like he's an actual threat on the WR screens and backfield stuff that a lot of Shanahan/McVay schemes run (see Deebo, Puka, etc.)
Edit- tweet didn't paste right
View: https://twitter.com/Winnesota18/status/1769461352219754893
One thing that really stands out is... 5'11 203 he's strong (even at the combine really good bench and vert) he runs through arm tackles. Feel like he's an actual threat on the WR screens and backfield stuff that a lot of Shanahan/McVay schemes run (see Deebo, Puka, etc.)
Edit- tweet didn't paste right
Don’t really understand the signing. More of what they already have with Douglas, Bourne and JJSS in terms of role (low end 2/better suited for #3)
If the goal is to build through the draft, why clog the roster with guys like this? Would have made more sense had Bourne not been retained.
If the goal is to build through the draft, why clog the roster with guys like this? Would have made more sense had Bourne not been retained.
I hope they can figure out how to use Bourne and Osborn at the same time. They seem to have similar skills, with Osborn a slightly better blocker I believe.
If they draft a lot of OL and DB, it’s not the worst thing in the world.
If they draft a lot of OL and DB, it’s not the worst thing in the world.
He has a different skillset/body than Douglas, and... you need 5 or 6 WRs, Juju is gone after this season at the latest, and the new staff/FO don't have any attachment to make them play him.
Osborn is another guy who can line up anywhere, he has experience in a variant of what they'll run. Teams need a lot of guys who can play at WR, he's replacing Parker's roster spot. Did anyone come out of last year thinking "man we had too many competent WRs!"
THis team needed at least 2 more WRs, maybe 3 if Boutte is gone. Osborn gives them one who is an experience pro and can fit with any combination of the others
JuJu had 29 catches and by end of season was barely seeing the field. You need 5/6 guys who can catch the ball, who will Osborn be blocking?
Pretty decent player, definitely like the signing if the money is right. They desperately need someone better than Bourne, but more receivers at Bourne's (healthy) level is not a bad thing for this roster as it stands right now.
Those two names pair well.
Osborn was the #3 behind Jefferson and Thielen for 2 years and then last year was the #3 behind Jefferson and Addison (first round rookie who caught 70).
Maybe on a team with worse WRs he would have broken through?
We now have the following WRs (percentage of snaps last year):
- Douglas (46%)
- Smith-Schuster (44%)
- Bourne (35%)
- Reagor (29%)
- Thornton (21%)
- Boutte (11%)
- Osborn (with Vikings, 73%)
Osborne is solid and competent and you couldn't say that about too many WRs on the Pats last year.
This is a good pickup. He's materially better than every WR on the team but Bourne and maybe Pop.
This is a good pickup. He's materially better than every WR on the team but Bourne and maybe Pop.
Seems from that video as the kinda guy Brady would make look like a star. Here's hoping he steps up if we get a quality QB.
It’s a competent signing which is what the Patriots need right now. They need to get the roster to a place where they can at least be competitive on offense and this move helps.
Nothing not to like about this signing. I still want Mike Williams in a short deal but I doubt that’ll happen.
I'd have loved this signing if it would have been paired with a top end guy. I'm hopeful, but not super optimistic. That being said he's a solid upgrade over Parker, who was theoretically the Pats #1 receiver before.
Can't be any worse than Parker or Thornton.
Can't be any worse than Parker or Thornton.
Solid signing. Can't wait til he equals Ridley's production next year. But really, good depth. Let's go out and pick up another solid guy in R2 or R3 and it's progress.
The thing is, if they’re in full rebuild mode, a one year deal for a guy with butterfingers (among the league leaders in drop % last year) doesn’t serve any purpose. He’s clearly not a #1. So either he’s taking snaps from Bourne/Douglas or he’s blocking guys who are cost controlled beyond 2024 (Thornton, Boutte, draft picks, UDFA etc)
What purpose does this serve? It doesn’t help a young QB, as Osborn isn’t very good and doesn’t catch well. He’s not signed beyond 24 so he’s not part of a long term vision
And I fully expect JJSS to be given a chance to prove his knee is healthy and compete for playing time given his contract is under water
But even assuming JJSS is gone, you have (hopefully) a top 75 pick on a WR, Douglas and Bourne all more deserving of snaps than this guy. So he’s going to be blocking anyone they want to develop whether it’s an in house guy like Thornton or a later round pick or Boutte.
If Osborn sucks and is on a 1 year deal and Thornton or Boutte can’t beat him out then that’s on them. There’s no downside.
It’s a 1 year, 4 million dollar deal.
View: https://twitter.com/mikekadlick/status/1769493862882386229
View: https://twitter.com/mikekadlick/status/1769493862882386229
You are overthinking this signing. They need guys who can play, who have at least been productive. This guy has been decent which is more than you can say for Thornton, JuJu (in NE), and Raegor. The team needs to raise the floor and create competition in the receiver room. This is a start.
He lost a number of looks to Jordan Addison, which helps explain his drop in targets, along with the aforementioned QB carousel.
He is pretty good, and last year's drop numbers are a major outlier, his career drop% before last year was 2.3%, which is very good (as an example, Ridley's lowest year is 3.2 and his career rate is 5.4, Justin Jefferson's career number is 2.7) Beyond that... how many snaps do you think the top 3 WRs are going to play? Especially when one of them is a rookie and one is a slight slot only guy who got concussed twice in only 480 snaps? Edit- oh an the 3rd is coming off a torn ACL and might not be 100% by camp.
I'd also say that Boutte (if he's not in prison) and Thornton haven't shown enough to be handed snaps. Bad WR snaps hurt everyone. It's bad for the QB's development if the WRs aren't where they are supposed to be, it's bad for the other WRs, it's bad for the whole offense if they can't block. There is a ton of value to a good experienced WR who is one of the only guys on the offense who has run the system.
I don't want my rookie QB going out there, making his progressions and Thornton took 12 steps at the break so the QB can't make the right read, or Boutte ran the wrong route and now the spacing is off and nobody can get open, or we can't run outside because we can't make the correct block.
Good solid NFL players are valuable in developing your good players, the back of the roster cut candidates aren't being blocked, if they improe they might get snaps, if they don't they'll get cut, but you can't be making decisions to help them at the expense of the team, because that is bad for the few (only?) important people to develop. Thornton doesn't matter, Boutte either, if something changes with them... awesome, but they should have basically zero impact on how the GM builds this team, the focus should be on the #3 pick and building an offense that works for guys like the O-linemen who might be here long term. Even Bourne... I love Bourne, but he's 29 coming off an ACL, who knows what he looks like and for how long.
1/4 million is very reasonable. He'll also be trying to show something to get at least one good contract.
Aside from Pop and maybe Bourne is there anyone we think is going to be around in a few years? Let the bottom of the group fight it out for playing time and a future in the league. I hope they bring in at least two draftees as well, preferably at least one X because it doesn't seem like we really have one unless we go get Williams.
Aside from Pop and maybe Bourne is there anyone we think is going to be around in a few years? Let the bottom of the group fight it out for playing time and a future in the league. I hope they bring in at least two draftees as well, preferably at least one X because it doesn't seem like we really have one unless we go get Williams.
Building an offense that works for the young QB is exactly why this move doesn’t really make sense to me. Osborne isn’t a good WR. He’s not bad, but if the intention is “make young QB comfortable in 2024” there were more talented and more experienced guys to be had. And on a one year deal, I can’t imagine a soon to be 27 year old with a 6.5% drop rate last year is going to be counted on too much to be a building block.
If you want guys to help develop your QB, adding #3 receivers and backup tackles seems like an odd way to do that when you have the money to give better players one year or two year contracts.
Kind of funny how the “BB hung Mac out to dry with no weapons, no wonder Mac failed, he had a bunch of #3’s” narrative has shifted to “low end 2’s and 3’s are going to help a young QB” (not you specifically but amongst some of the fan base)
Anyway, my issue with Osborn is that the Pats aren’t going to be running many 4 WR sets so if he’s on the field, one of Bourne/Douglas/rookie (if one is drafted highly) isn’t going to be. That doesn’t represent much of an upgrade (if any) in my mind. Now, if Bourne is washed or starts on PUP, fine. But by definition if Osborn is playing, someone of similar (or hopefully better in the case of the rookie) is most likely sitting
He’s a JAG/depth signing. Not any sort of needle mover and the idea that he is the type of help best given to a rookie QB is questionable at best.
The Patriots are not likely to be drafting a WR highly. If they’re staying at #3 they desperately need a LT to keep their new QB alive. They’ll be choosing WRs from the leavings and the odds that the draftee is ever as good as Osborn are pretty remote.
Let's not forget that Bourne is coming back from an ACL and Douglas is tiny and has had various injuries keeping him off the field, as has Schuster.
Osborn has played all 51 games over the past 3 years.
Arguably he is better/more reliable than anyone else we have.
And few teams are as good at 1/2 as the Vikings have been.
This is a decent small bet on a guy who might be more than what he appears to be, and, if nothing else adds reliable debt. He also will have the incentive of a 1-year deal.
Osborn has played all 51 games over the past 3 years.
- Osborn: 51 games, 158 catches, 1,845 yards, 15 TD as a 3rd receiver
- Bourne: 41 games/ACL, 127 catches, 1,640 yards, 10 TD
- Schuster: 32 games, 122 catches, 1,322 yards, 4 TD
- Douglas: 14 games (1 year), 49 catches, 561 yards, 0 TD
- Thornton: 22 games (2 years), 22 catches, 338 yards, 2 TD
- Reagor: 45 games, 48 catches, 541 yards, 3 TD
Arguably he is better/more reliable than anyone else we have.
And few teams are as good at 1/2 as the Vikings have been.
This is a decent small bet on a guy who might be more than what he appears to be, and, if nothing else adds reliable debt. He also will have the incentive of a 1-year deal.
Barring something unforeseen, it’s going to be more of the same at the WR/TE position. Sucks to pass on potential studs like Harrison, Nabers, Odunze but have to get QB/OL help first or nothing else matters. Given the limitations of what is available, I think Osborn is a fine stopgap solution. At some point, this team will have to make a significant investment at WR.
Eh, Davante Parker had 175 receptions for 2500 yards and 15 TD the three years prior to the Pats acquiring him.
This feels like a depth move for an organization that seems to only make depth moves nowadays.
This feels like a depth move for an organization that seems to only make depth moves nowadays.
QB/OL have to be priorities #1 and #2. WR's can be found anywhere unless your name is Bill Belichick who hardly could choose WR's to save his life. I trust Wolf to find receivers going forward if they are fully changing their scouting methods. They probably will use pick #68 on a WR depending on what is left. If they can get the QB/OL this year then I put resources next year in WR/TE. The QB is the most important thing that matters.
Agreed although I do wonder about #34, assuming they keep it. If all their preferred high value OTs are gone, do they go Mitchell, Thomas, or Coleman if one of them is there at #34? Or, do they trade down to mid 2nd and pick up an extra 3rd? Will be interesting to see.
Parker was 3 years older and had already begun to demonstrate his propensity to miss games with injuries. And with the excpetion of his last year (Waddle), he was the most targeted WR on the Dolphins. He never played behind WRs the caliber of Jefferson and Thielen.
Anyway, it is a depth move but there is some upside potential here, too.
Yeah, I think OT is the target there, but if they miss out on the run then don't force it with some dude ranked 65th. Take the top WR on your board and try to load up on OT later.
From what I understand there's a bunch of top 35-40ish tackles, then a gap, then some in the 90-120th range, whereas WR, after those top 3, are spread pretty evenly through first 4 rounds.
Cynicism tends to rule the day, but what's not to like from that variety of catches in the tweet about his best game as a pro? He's catching balls in traffic, he runs a nice little route for a TD in the red zone, and he's catching screens and breaking tackles. Stats aren't the entire story sometimes. Also, not sure where PFF came up with seven drops last year, pro-football-reference has him at five. This is a nice little pick-up and I think he's got a chance to be the best WR on the team. He's not a Joey Galloway camp fodder type signing of the days of yore, that's for sure.
For shits and giggles look at a Devante Parker reel. The guy was essentially brought in as a high point sideline guy and they paired him with Mac F'n Jones. I'll take a guy with less size and skill on the outside who can actually run a route versus a one-trick pony like Parker any day of the week.
For shits and giggles look at a Devante Parker reel. The guy was essentially brought in as a high point sideline guy and they paired him with Mac F'n Jones. I'll take a guy with less size and skill on the outside who can actually run a route versus a one-trick pony like Parker any day of the week.
Last edited:
This is the kind of signing you make to give yourself flexibility in the draft and that is great. Would I be happy if the team went into the year with the current roster of receivers as their only receivers? No. But they only have the resources they have, and the only players available in free agency are the ones that are on the market.
Just because you have needs doesn’t mean you can fill them. Roster construction requires some compromises and now they are in position to be flexible in the drat. If something falls in their lap, that’s great. But now they have the flexibility to trade up if they have to to get an offensive lineman. Ideal? No. But you do what you can do.
Just because you have needs doesn’t mean you can fill them. Roster construction requires some compromises and now they are in position to be flexible in the drat. If something falls in their lap, that’s great. But now they have the flexibility to trade up if they have to to get an offensive lineman. Ideal? No. But you do what you can do.
It's a fine signing, if not utterly predictable given how this team seems to find it's WR's:
Bourne: Deebo was going into his third season, Aiyuk was coming off a good rookie year, so they let him walk. Pats got their #3 (who wasn't really their #3 when you consider Kittle)
Parker: The Dolphins were kind enough to trade him to us along with a 5th rounder, for a 3rd rounder, because they had just drafted Waddle #6 overall and traded for Tyreek Hill about a week earlier. Then when they realized Gesicki sucked and couldn't get open even with those two guys on the field, they let him walk the following year and the Pats were able to swoop in and grab that talent.
Raegor: Drafted in the 1st by Philly, then traded after year 2 to Minnesota, when they drafted Smith with the #10 overall pick and after they went and traded for AJ Brown, and of course, they still had Goedert. Then Minnesota realized he sucked and waived him.
Agholor: First round draft pick, signed after his rookie deal with the Raiders for a 1yr/1mil deal. He shows something in Vegas to make the Pats think he's better than Jakobi, so they go sign Agholor for 2/22, the day after those same Raiders signed Jakobi for 3/33. Now, he's on his 2nd year 1yr deal worth about 3.5mil each with the Ravens.
Don't even get me going on the Jonnu/JuJu/etc. deals and the draft picks.
These are the types of moves that work when you have Tom Brady at QB and Gronk at TE. They are depth moves for teams already competing or teams actively trying to tank. I have no issue with the Osborn signing, but he sure as shit shouldn't excite anyone.
Bourne: Deebo was going into his third season, Aiyuk was coming off a good rookie year, so they let him walk. Pats got their #3 (who wasn't really their #3 when you consider Kittle)
Parker: The Dolphins were kind enough to trade him to us along with a 5th rounder, for a 3rd rounder, because they had just drafted Waddle #6 overall and traded for Tyreek Hill about a week earlier. Then when they realized Gesicki sucked and couldn't get open even with those two guys on the field, they let him walk the following year and the Pats were able to swoop in and grab that talent.
Raegor: Drafted in the 1st by Philly, then traded after year 2 to Minnesota, when they drafted Smith with the #10 overall pick and after they went and traded for AJ Brown, and of course, they still had Goedert. Then Minnesota realized he sucked and waived him.
Agholor: First round draft pick, signed after his rookie deal with the Raiders for a 1yr/1mil deal. He shows something in Vegas to make the Pats think he's better than Jakobi, so they go sign Agholor for 2/22, the day after those same Raiders signed Jakobi for 3/33. Now, he's on his 2nd year 1yr deal worth about 3.5mil each with the Ravens.
Don't even get me going on the Jonnu/JuJu/etc. deals and the draft picks.
These are the types of moves that work when you have Tom Brady at QB and Gronk at TE. They are depth moves for teams already competing or teams actively trying to tank. I have no issue with the Osborn signing, but he sure as shit shouldn't excite anyone.
What am I missing here? Agholor signed with us in 2021 -- and Jakobi signed with the Raiders in 2023.
They let Jakobi go, and then signed JuJu as his "replacement" for a little less money.
Jakobi: 3/33
JuJu: 3/25
Jakobi: 3/33
JuJu: 3/25