Patriots bring quarterback, four wideouts in for workout
August 10, 2019; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Mike White (3) before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. (Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports)
After bringing in seven players for a workout earlier this week, with a noticeable focus on defensive backs, the Patriots flipped the script and brought in four wide receivers and a quarterback for a Friday workout at Gillette Stadium, Patriots had the following free agents in for workouts: WR Deontay Burnett (USC); WR Amara Darboh (Michigan); WR Anthony Johnson (Buffalo); WR Spencer Schnell (Illinois State); QB Mike White (Western Kentucky). Such due diligence is commonplace for the team at this time of year.
At wideout, the group included Deontay Burnett, Amara Darboh, Anthony Johnson, and Spencer Schnell.
The 21-year-old Burnett was with the Jets most recently, and caught 10 passes for a total of 143 yards in five games with New York last year. But Burnett was unable to turn that into a spot on New York’s 53-man roster this year, as he totaled 12 catches for 92 yards and a score in four preseason games before being cut by the Jets last week.
Darboh, meanwhile, came back to Foxboro after being waived by the Seahawks on Aug, 29. If the name rings a bell, it’s because the Patriots actually claimed Darboh off waivers from the Seahawks last year, but released the 6-foot-2 wideout just two days later after he failed his physical with the team. A third-round pick back in 2017, Darboh has eight catches and 71 receiving yards in 16 career games (all with Seattle in 2017).
An undrafted free agent, Johnson’s workout in Foxboro comes after he failed to make the Bucs’ 53-man roster. The 24-year-old had five catches and 57 receiving yards in four preseason games for Tampa Bay this summer.
And then there’s Schnell. A 5-foot-9 receiver who also spent his 2019 summer with the Bucs, Schnell began his preseason with a bang, grabbing seven of nine targets for 119 yards in a 30-28 loss to the Steelers. But the 24-year-old was not targeted once throughout the remainder of the preseason, and instead worked in the kicking game, where he had two kick returns (averaging 17 yards a return) and one punt return for six yards.
At quarterback, the Patriots brought in Western Kentucky product Mike White. A fifth-round pick of the Cowboys in 2018, but unable to crack Dallas’ 53-man roster, White had one touchdown, one interception, and 305 passing yards behind a 36-for-68 (52.9 percent completion percentage) line in four games this summer.
As noted by Reiss, this was just another case of the Patriots checking in on potential options in the event of an injury or roster shake-up.
The Patriots will begin their 2019 season this Sunday against the Steelers.
