New England Patriots: Waiver Wire Hidden Gems and Reunions
Reunited, and it feel so good hahaha. A few days ago Kenbrell Thompkins rejoined the Patriots as a practice squad player. Now that the 53 man roster is taking shape the wide receiver position is becoming more clear. Obviously Julien Edelman & Danny Amendola will be the main leaders with Brandon Lafell on the PUP list until at least week seven. Aaron Dobson will be next man up with Brandon Gibson and Brian Tyms down with injuries.
Honestly I doubt they were ever ahead of Dobson but, their absence along with Lafell’s solidifies him as the third receiver on the depth chart. I fully expect Thompkins to crack the game day rotation since the only other receiver ahead of him is Matt Slater who is predominantly a special teams ace. He could be a lot more effective this time around then when he was a rookie during his lone season with the Patriots. Although even as a rookie he and Tom Brady appeared to have a nice connection and Brady doesn’t have that with many people. It’s a very short list of guys who’ve had immediate chemistry with the golden boy and that along with an extra year of nfl experience should aid him into becoming a valued weapon for Brady.
It’s ironic that if he makes the rotation the Patriots will have the exact same receiving core from their 2013 season when Dobson and Thompkins were rookies. This time around there shouldn’t be any confusion like back then. Edelman is a established receiver now, Rob Gronkoski isn’t out with injury, and Amendola isn’t expected to be the second coming of Wes Welker. The two young guns can let the heavy weights do their thing to keep the offense flowing as they wait to sprinkle in big plays here and there for Brady. They have seven weeks plus a bye to establish themselves and once Lafell returns this could be quite a formidable arial assault.
Another reunion the Patriots should consider is not a reunion for the team but one for James White. The Broncos recently cut Montee Ball and he is waiting to clear waivers. Now that the Patriots shockingly cut Jonas Gray it is expected that Brandon Bolden will see a increase in his reps especially with Legarrate Blount out for week one. If that isn’t the case a reunion of one of the best backfields in college from a few years ago would be nice to have. White and Ball were quite tandem at Wisconsin and having a brother in arms could give each of them a extra spark in their rushing attacks.
Bill Belichick has always been a running back by committee type of coach so it would surprise at all to see him pull such a move. White appears to have firmly grasped the third down role so there isn’t a need to keep Dion Sims and Travaris Cadet around. He might as well cut them, make room for Ball, and if an injury falls on any of the runningbacks Brandon Bolden can play every role. Blount, Bolden, White, and Ball can be a very effective rushing attack.