The New England Patriots are really asking a lot of their wide receiver corps.

After making no high-impact changes at the position – unless you count swapping out Jakobi Meyers for JuJu Smith-Schuster – the Patriots are left hoping they can get more out of who they already have. In 2023, anyway. The onus for improvement should fall on some shoulders heavier than others. That’s why the current depth chart could change. In fact, if it does change, that means very good things are happening in Foxboro.

Here’s how we project the Patriots’ wide receiver depth chart after the 2023 draft…

• “X” Outside Receiver

  

  FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – JANUARY 01: Tyquan Thornton #11 of the New England Patriots catches a pass for a touchdown against Noah Igbinoghene #9 of the Miami Dolphins during the first quarter at Gillette Stadium on January 01, 2023 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

• 1. DeVante Parker
  2. Tyquan Thornton
  3. Tre Nixon
  4. Kayshon Boutte

  Parker is likely the starting “X” entering 2024 OTAs and minicamp. He lined up outside on 88.8 percent of his offensive snaps in 2022, per Pro Football Focus. If the Patriots were going to make a legitimate upgrade for a No. 1 receiver, realistically, it’s Parker’s spot that would have been upgraded. Since the Pats decided to stay the course with Parker, it’ll be on him to stay healthy and perform more consistently.

  The “X-factor” (pun intended, I guess) here is Thornton. In an ideal world, Thornton emerges as a game-breaker on the outside. That would change everything. Thornton showed solid hands and separation to go with his elite speed throughout training camp, but a broken collarbone set his rookie campaign back by several weeks. The Pats seem to be banking on a year-2 jump from Thornton under new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, provided he can stay on the field.

• “Y” Slot Receiver

  

  SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 23: JuJu Smith-Schuster #9 of the Kansas City Chiefs carries the ball for a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on October 23, 2022 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

  1. JuJu Smith-Schuster
  2. Kendrick Bourne
  3. Lynn Bowden
  4. Demario Douglas

  Smith-Schuster is projected to take over the snaps previously taken by Meyers (315 slot snaps in 14 games). Bourne was used relatively sparingly in the slot in 2022 – only 27.1 percent of snaps, his lowest rate in four seasons – but he figures to get some of those snaps back, with Nelson Agholor no longer in the picture. Bowden remains on the roster as a futures contract signing, while rookie Demario Douglas is likely to start at the back of the line.

  It’s also worth noting that tight end Hunter Henry played the second-most snaps as a “Y” receiver last season (210 snaps, 43.3 percent), and figures to cut into the overall slot workload again. Thornton also lined up in the slot 24.1 percent of the time. But Smith-Schuster was presumably brought in to get the large majority of the snaps here.

• “Z” Outside Receiver

  

  ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 08: Kendrick Bourne #84 of the New England Patriots and Mac Jones #10 of the New England Patriots celebrate with DeVante Parker #1 of the New England Patriots after Parker’s receiving touchdown during the second quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on January 08, 2023 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)

• 1. Kendrick Bourne
  2. Tyquan Thornton
  3. Tre Nixon
  4. Kayshon Boutte

  Bourne should enter camp as a starter opposite “X” Parker at the “Z,” but the hope is that Thornton can push him (if not Parker) for snaps on the perimeter. Nixon came back for another season via futures contract, but he’s likely to have good competition on the depth chart from rookie Kayshon Boutte.

  Thornton already passed Bourne for snaps out wide in 2022, despite playing three fewer games. But we’re projecting Bourne to emerge from the weird doghouse he was trapped in for most of 2022, and restore himself to the kind of trusted target he was for Mac Jones in 2021.

• Best-Case Scenario…

  

  CLEVELAND, OHIO – OCTOBER 16: Tyquan Thornton #11 of the New England Patriots celebrates with Hunter Henry #85 of the New England Patriots after Thornton’s touchdown during the third quarter against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on October 16, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)

  What’s the ceiling for the 2023 New England Patriots offense? The reason there’s concern heading into the season is because Bill Belichick took a synergistic approach to the unit in the off-season, opting for incremental improvements at a number of spots and a big bet on O’Brien to elevate the group’s overall effectiveness from a dysfunctional 2022.

  It’s easy to envision a better 2023. O’Brien is far more qualified to run an offense than Matt Patricia or Joe Judge will ever be. Smith-Schuster is a more dynamic athlete than Meyers. Free-agent addition Mike Gesicki can’t possibly be worse than Jonnu Smith was at tight end. Thornton has some high-end traits and shouldn’t be ruled out to put it all together.

  

  FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – DECEMBER 24: Kendrick Bourne #84 of the New England Patriots catches a touchdown over Cam Taylor-Britt #29 of the Cincinnati Bengals during the fourth quarter at Gillette Stadium on December 24, 2022 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

• The real question for the Patriots offense is whether they correct their problems on the offensive line, another area they hope a new coach (Adrian Klemm) will fix. They barely addressed the tackle position at the draft and are relying on veterans Trent Brown, Riley Reiff, and Conor McDermott to be enough.

  But at wide receiver, they’re still not in as bad of shape as it seems. They’re just asking a lot to expect big improvements across the board from everyone who was here for that disaster a year ago.

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• Click here for complete New England Patriots coverage at 985TheSportsHub.com.

  Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @realmattdolloff. Check out all of Matt’s content here.

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