The New England Patriots have gone back to free agency to bolster their ailing wide receiver corps. They’ve signed veteran wideout Eric Decker to a one-year deal, according to Adam Schefter on Twitter.
Decker, 31, visited the Patriots for a workout on Monday. This came amid news that fellow free-agent signing Jordan Matthews suffered a hamstring injury; the Patriots ended up releasing Matthews after practice on Wednesday. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network added on Thursday that the two sides had been negotiating for a few days.
A veteran of eight NFL seasons, Decker has played for the Denver Broncos, New York Jets, and most recently the Tennessee Titans. He played for a brief time under Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels during his rookie year in 2010.
Decker joins a WR depth chart that still includes Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, Kenny Britt, Malcolm Mitchell, Cordarrelle Patterson, Riley McCarron, Braxton Berrios, and Matthew Slater. Britt and Slater are on the physically unable to perform list, while Mitchell has also been limited in recent practices.
If nothing else, Decker can be an extra body for a WR corps that has been wracked by injuries recently. But he’s always seemed like a good fit for the Patriots offense, so it’ll be interesting to see what he has left.
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