Patriots report highlights widespread dysfunction in wide receiver room
Another year, another exposé on a disastrous season for the New England Patriots. And it’s no surprise that the wide receiver room is chief among the biggest issues on the team.
Forget the undeniable truth that the Patriots lack the talent necessary for their wide receiver group to make a real impact on the field. The 2024 edition of the receivers was filled with problems off the field, too. Too much talking, not enough production. Even some minor legal trouble. It was simply out of control, a problem that went beyond mere physical talent, or lack thereof.
Andrew Callahan and Doug Kyed touched upon the Patriots’ significant issues at wide receiver in their wide-ranging inside story for the Boston Herald on the Patriots’ 2024 season, in which the team finished 4-13 and frankly looked even worse than the record suggested. Their abysmal performance ultimately got head coach Jerod Mayo fired after one season, and the wide receivers were no exception to the on-and-off-field issues that plagued the team almost throughout the entire regular season.
Both the offensive line – another group doomed to fail due to a lack of established talent and a spate of injuries – and the wide receivers “became sources of frustration for teammates and front-office members alike,” according to Callahan and Kyed. The receivers became frustrating for the rest of the team for a toxic mix of poor on-field performance and disruptive behavior off the field.
Veteran K.J. Osborn was ostensibly signed to be a steady, mature presence who set an example for the younger receivers. Instead, Osborn openly complained about his lack of targets and basically shot his way out of town. The Pats ultimately waived Osborn in December, and he ended up with the Washington Commanders. He was active for one of four possible games and didn’t receive a target, so, good for him.
The rookie receivers, meanwhile, gave the Patriots virtually nothing on the field and created more problems than they solved off it. Second-rounder Ja’Lynn Polk spoke unusually highly of himself amid serious on-field struggles (“I believe I have the best hands in the league”), a tough look and one of the most bizarre spectacles of the season. Polk only continued to flounder as the season went along.
As for fourth-round pick Javon Baker, he didn’t make his first catch of the season until the Week 18 season finale, a game so meaningless they would’ve been better off losing. Baker’s most notable moment was an interaction with police at Logan Airport and a subsequent Instagram live video recorded while driving.
According to the Herald story, Baker also missed “missed bedcheck” the night before the Patriots played the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. He was inactive for the game. For Baker, it adds up to a young player that needs to learn how to be a pro in addition to play better.
Can’t leave Tyquan Thornton out of this! The third-year pro failed to gain traction on the depth chart in his time as a Patriot, and according to the Herald, “checked out mentally after it was clear he wouldn’t play anymore.” Thornton reportedly arrived late to the team facility and missed practice two days before the Patriots waived him.
Thank the good lord for DeMario “Pop” Douglas, whose “lowest” moment was a mild lament over a lack of targets early in the season. Douglas ended up having a decent season after Drake Maye went in at quarterback, considering the circumstances, finishing with 48 catches for 468 yards and three touchdowns over his final 12 games.
Mercifully, Douglas avoided being mentioned in the Herald piece. He also said the right things when he spoke after the Patriots’ calamitous 40-7 loss to the Chargers in Week 17:
“I feel like this game right here, just alone, should have a bad taste in everybody’s mouth, just because we lost at home. I feel like us being a young team, we should go into next year like, ‘Man, we dislike losing.’ I dislike losing, and I feel like my two years I’ve been losing, and I feel like it’s time to make a change. We’ve got some pieces, we’ll add more pieces next year, and I feel like we could come out and do something. I’m trying to be in the playoffs, I’m trying to go for a run and have a winning season. I’m just tired of losing for real.”
So, Douglas can be welcomed back into that room in 2025. Everyone else should be on notice.
Polk is realistically back for a second season, considering he’s a second-round pick and did look like one of the Pats’ top weapons in his first training camp. Baker is no guarantee to stay. Kayshon Boutte, who also avoided mention in the Herald, produced enough in his second season to earn a spot at next year’s camp.
But the Patriots most certainly need to add legitimate, established talent at that position. And even still, who’s going to keep them on their best behavior?
Flying under the radar in 2024 was that the Patriots, who entrusted the head coach, defensive coordinator, and offensive play-caller positions to guys who have never been in the role, also put a first-time coach in charge of the wide receivers. Tyler Hughes, who was an offensive assistant for the Patriots from 2020-22, served as an analyst for the Washington Huskies, where Polk played, in 2023. He returned to the Patriots to be their wide receivers coach in 2024. The complete lack of command of the room, on top of the lack of production, ultimately reflects on Hughes.
The Patriots need an experienced, accomplished assistant coach in that role as much as any other on the coaching staff. It’ll be interesting to see who takes over, because Hughes almost certainly won’t be back under the new regime, whether it’s with Mike Vrabel, Ben Johnson, or otherwise.
There’s a massive cleanup still to be made at Patriot Place, that goes far beyond just firing and replacing Mayo. The wide receiver room is one of the smelliest wrecks of all.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
