Patriots: Assessing Depth Chart At Receiver After Danny Amendola Restructures Contract
By Cyrus Geller
Yesterday Patriots receiver Danny Amendola restructured his contract with the Patriots.
Danny Amendola restructured contract to stay w/ Patriots, source says. Two years, $7.35m with $750k more in roster bonuses/catch incentives.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) May 6, 2016
This was expected, because with the addition of Chris Hogan in free agency, and Malcolm Mitchell later in the draft, Amendola was in serious danger of being cut if he didn’t restructure. But by now we know Amendola is a team player, and I would have been shocked if he didn’t comply with the Pats.
With Amendola definitely back in the fold for 2016, let’s take a look at the projected depth chart at receiver for New England.
Here are the current receivers the team currently has under contract:
Danny Amendola
Chris Hogan
Malcolm Mitchell
Devin Lucien
DeAndre Carter
Matthew Slater
Based on years past, including Slater, the Patriots will keep either five or six receivers on the opening day roster. With how deep they are this season, I think this could be a year the Pats keep six.
The way I see it, there are currently five locks for roster spots, barring any injuries. Edelman, Amendola, Hogan, Mitchell, and Slater are all roster locks in my opinion. That likely leaves one spot for Dobson, Martin, Washington, Harper, Carter and Lucien to battle for.
I personally feel like Martin and Washington have the inside track right now, as Martin proved last year he can produce in this offense, and Washington is a seasoned vet who knows how to get open in this league. However Lucien is a very intriguing prospect, and worst case scenario I think he will end up on the practice squad. As for Dobson, his injury issues and inability to consistently get on the same page with Tom Brady might signal the end of his time in New England.
Of course the Patriots could elect to carry seven receivers on the opening roster, which is a lot, but with how many talented guys they have this year, I don’t think it is that crazy of an idea. If that is the case, I could see Martin and Washington both making the squad, unless someone like Lucien has a great summer.
Training camp is going to be very heated and competitive this year at this position, and I can’t wait to see who emerges and earns themselves a roster spot.