Once again, the New England Patriots find themselves in need of help at the wide receiver position. Josh Gordon parted ways with the team to improve his mental health and is also facing an indefinite suspension. Compounding this issue is the status of wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson. The speedy wide receiver missed Thursday’s practice and might not play in Week 16. Because of all the turnover, the Patriots should give a call to old friend Kenny Britt.
Britt spent a small portion of the 2017 season in New England, as well as the early portions of training camp. The wide receiver probably would have made the 53-man roster, but a hamstring injury forced him off the team. However, he should be healthy now, and the Patriots could use his familiarity and reliability for depth at the wide receiver position.
New England Patriots Should Sign Kenny Britt With Josh Gordon Gone
First, let’s start with a disclaimer: Kenny Britt isn’t nearly the player Josh Gordon is. Gordon is a generational talent who seamlessly picked up the offense on the fly and became New England’s top receiver overnight. Britt won’t do that, but he can serve as a decent depth piece.
If the Patriots are, in fact, in the market for a receiver, their top priority should be finding a guy who’s familiar with the system. There are interesting players like Jeremy Maclin on the open market who might have a higher ceiling than Britt. However, they’d have to learn the playbook from scratch. New England’s offense is notorious for being one of the most complex in the entire league. Receivers have multiple responsibilities on each and every play, and they’re required to read the defense the same way Tom Brady does.
Gordon was able to pick this up on the fly, but he is the exception to the rule. Established veterans like Chad Ochocinco and Joey Galloway struggled to pick up the offense with an entire off-season to learn it. Expecting Maclin or anyone else to learn it on the fly is asking the improbable. With Britt, you get a solid-if-unspectacular option who already knows the playbook and has chemistry with Tom Brady.
New England Likes Him
Having experience with the Patriots is one thing, but it can be a double-edged sword. If Britt didn’t work hard and buy into the message, then there’s no way he would ever step foot in Foxboro again. You can call this the Cassius Marsh effect.
However, based on all public information, the Patriots appear to be big fans of Kenny Britt. For one, they picked up his option prior to the 2018 off-season. New England saw Britt up close and personal during the 2017 season, and they would have saved some cap space by not bringing him back. However, the team felt he was worth the investment and added him to the roster.
Not satisfied with the one year left on his contract, New England actually offered Britt a contract extension back in the off-season. Britt turned down the deal, hoping to cash in during 2019’s free agency.
That clearly never happened, as a hamstring injury forced Britt off the roster. While Britt remained unemployed, the Patriots kept an open line of communication with Britt. In fact, New England actually worked him out prior to their Week Three matchup with the Detroit Lions. The Patriots could have very well signed him, but Josh Gordon unexpectedly became available. Obviously, New England would rather have Gordon than Britt, so the longtime NFL veteran remained unemployed. However, with Gordon gone indefinitely, New England should make the move they almost made in September.
How Britt Would Fit
So how would Britt fit in the current state of the Patriots roster? Obviously, there’s a lot of holes on the depth chart, but Britt isn’t a do-everything receiver. If New England is to use him effectively, they’d need to utilize him situationally.
Like Josh Gordon, Britt projects as a physical outside receiver capable of earning contested catches and winning at the point of attack. Again, he’s not nearly as good as Gordon, but he’s a similar player. Back in 2016, Britt recorded 1,002 yards and six touchdowns with the Los Angeles Rams. Granted, this was two years ago, but this shows Britt is capable of being a serviceable receiver. During 2016, Britt was at his best in the deep left portion of the field, recording 274 yards and a 64% success rate on deep left passes.
Granted this was two years ago, but Britt does have the ability to be a serviceable perimeter receiver. It’s hard to tell what’s left in his tank, but New England liked him enough to offer him an extension in the off-season. This shows that, at one point in time, the Patriots believed Britt had at least two more good years left in his tank. Seeing as Bill Belichick is better at the whole “talent evaluation” thing than I am, let’s assume that’s still the case.
Going from Gordon to Britt is significantly disappointing, but it has to be done. New England needs more depth at the wide receiver position, and Britt is on the market. He knows the playbook, developed chemistry with Brady, and the Patriots like him. It’s an underwhelming option, but it’s the best choice the Patriots have left.
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