Wednesday afternoon, the New England Patriots made their trade with the Atlanta Falcons official. Per multiple reports from several NFL insiders, the Patriots sent their 2020 second round pick to Atlanta in exchange for wide receiver, Mohamed Sanu. The eight-season veteran entered the league when the Cincinnati Bengals selected him during the third round of the 2012 draft. Sanu spent four seasons in Cincinnati before signing a five-year, $32.5 million contract with the Falcons as a free agent in 2016.
Looking at the Mohamed Sanu Trade
Sanu’s Statistics
Mohamed Sanu has spent his entire career as a very productive secondary option within both of the offenses he was a part of. Despite having the talent to be featured as an offense’s number one wide out, Sanu has been stuck behind potential future Hall of Famers A.J. Green and Julio Jones. Excluding Sanu’s rookie season, the 6-2, 210 pound receiver has appeared in no less than 15 games per season, including all seven of this season’s. Additionally, at 30 years of age, Sanu is coming off a 2018 season in which he tallied a personal best, 838 total receiving yards. Furthermore, through Atlanta’s past seven games, Sanu has racked up 33 receptions for 313 yards and one touchdown.
How Sanu Fits Into New England’s Offense
The Patriots receiving core has struggled with injuries for the past several weeks while the most recent example is Josh Gordon. Wednesday evening, the team announced Gordon would be placed on injured reserve accompanied by another report which indicated New England will likely move on from Gordon following this season. With the 6-3 Gordon now done and 6-4 rookie N’Keal Harry currently still on injured reserve, the team’s trade for the big bodied Sanu was crucial.
Sanu brings veteran experience, size, versatility, and strong hands to New England’s offense. Thus far, Sanu has played in the slot for 77.5% of his snaps and under the offensive mind of Josh McDaniels, that number should continue to stay high. Sanu’s slot experience will allow for the Patriots to create favorable matchups with undersized nickel corners as well as slow safeties. Furthermore, if defenses elect to shadow Sanu with their best corner, it will create other favorable matchups for Julian Edelman, Phillip Dorsett, and Jakobi Meyers. Also, Sanu’s hands and ability to win 50/50 balls adds another layer of depth to the Patriots tenth overall ranked offense. Currently, Sanu ranks seventh in the league in catch rate with 78.6%, along with having a contested catch rate of 66.7%. These numbers demonstrate Sanu’s ability to not only come down with tough catches, but also be consistent with making catches he is expected to make.
Given New England’s lack of receiver depth, Sanu will be expected to make an immediate impact starting this Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. While it is impossible for Sanu to learn the Patriots full arsenal of plays within his first couple weeks, the receiver will certainly be relied upon in specific situations. When New England first acquired Gordon last season, they prioritized his size along with his hands by mainly asking him to run vertical and slant routes. Despite Sanu being a more experienced and polished route runner than Gordon, the Patriots will integrate Sanu with responsibilities similar to those Gordon initially had.
The Sanu Trade as an Investment
When news and reports of this trade first began to circulate, many believed that giving up a second round pick was an overpayment for a 30 year old Sanu. However, Sanu’s contract is a great value for New England. For a team that has very little cap space for this season and going into the future, Sanu carries a very manageable 2019 cap number of $3.779 million. Additionally, Sanu’s contract is valid through the 2020 season with a cap number of $6.5 million, a bargain for a productive receiver.
The Patriots have had a strong interest in Sanu that dates back to his 2016 free agency. The team reportedly were in talks to sign the free agent but did not want to match Atlanta’s pricey offer. Nevertheless, three years and two Super Bowl titles later, Bill Belichick finally has his coveted Rutgers receiver to help make yet another championship run.
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