Dec 10, 2012; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Brandon Lloyd (85) recovers a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown against the Houston Texans during the fourth quarter at Gillette Stadium. The New England Patriots defeated the Houston Texans 42-14. Mandatory Credit: Michael Ivins-USA TODAY Sports

It was recently reported that Brandon Lloyd will most likely not return to the Patriots for the 2013 season. After reading different reports concerning Lloyd over the past few days I can say I am not at all surprised. When the off-season began I was one of the people that was adamantly hoping that Lloyd would be returning to the Pats. He had a good season (74 catches 911 yards) and seemed to have the right mindset for the Pats. However, I recently learned that Lloyd had a lot of off the field issues throughout the 2012 season. Coaches did not like some of his habits in the locker room and on the practice field. Most of the time when you have off the field issues with a Bill Belichick coached team, you will not be around for much longer. Lloyd was also very inconsistent on the field, as one week he would be phenomenal and the next he would not even show up. It is pretty disappointing because I think that with the right mindset Lloyd could really have flourished with Tom Brady in New England.

Now, this leaves the Pats in a very tricky situation at the wide receiver position. With Lloyd pretty much gone, the Pats have Kamar Aiken and Matthew Slater under contract at receiver for 2013. They really need to do some things if they hope to even be able to line up at receiver next season. I think that Welker will definitely be signed now, and I have heard that there is optimism that a three year deal will get done. The more pressing issue in my opinion is what to do for a solid receiver opposite of Welker. Julian Edelman is a very good player and I really hope the Patriots resign him, but I don’t think that he is a very good option to count on for an entire season as a starter on the outside. He is a great special team player, and a very solid third receiver in the offense but I think the Patriots need to find someone else to start on the outside.

There are three options in my mind, the first is to go after a big name guy through free agency. Dwayne Bowe is the main guy that I think the Pats would go after, he is a big physical guy that could bring a vertical presence that the Pats have not had since Randy Moss. Bowe has showed that throughout his career he can make very difficult catches and he is very good at taking the top off of a defense. Bowe will definitely demand a lot of money, and I am not sure the Patriots are the kind of team that would invest a lot of money in a position that is really a hit or miss position. For this reason I think that this is the last option for the Patriots when it comes to filling up the depth chart at the receiver position.

The second option is to draft some stud prospects in the NFL draft. I don’t like the Pats spending their first rounder on a receiver because as I said before  it is a hit or miss position, and I think that there really isn’t a guy worth spending a first round pick on. However I do like the thought of going after that position in the second and third rounds. This years draft is very deep at every position and there are a lot of solid receiver prospects at every level of the draft. Two guys that I like at that point in the draft are Justin Hunter and Aaron Dobson. They both have good size and are the kind of players that the Pats could use to develop and maybe turn into a solid threat in the future. There is a level of risk when drafting receivers as high as the second and third round, and it is up to the team if they want to take that risk. I think that this is a pretty good option for the Patriots, but I don’t think it is the best.

The last and best option in my opinion is to sign “value” guys in free agency. Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com brought up a good point when he talked about the Pats going after David Nelson. He is a big receiver that would bring a physical presence on the outside that Lloyd never really brought to the Pats when he was here.  Nelson also will be a very cheap investment for the Patriots, and if he does not work out then they cut him and lose relatively nothing. I think that the Patriots should go after a few guys like Nelson that would bring low risk high reward opportunities. We have seen many teams in recent years spend a ton of money on one guy in free agency and have that guy be a bust, and they have wasted a lot of money that could have been spent elsewhere. If the Pats go with the “value” route, then they will not have to worry about a player being a bust because they did not spend too much money on him to start with.

Whatever route the Pats go, I expect them to “refill” the receiver position the best way possible and give Brady a number of weapons to deal with once again in 2013. The Patriots have probably the best coach in the NFL, and one of the best front-offices. They have built three Super Bowl teams in the last 12 years and they have built five AFC Championship winning teams in that time, and all of ‘Patriot Nation’ should have faith in the decisions they make.

If you would like to know more about why Lloyd will most likely not return in 2013 give this article a read.  http://www.csnne.com/blog/patriots-talk/why-brandon-lloyd-isnt-part-patriots-plans

Nov 18, 2012; Foxboro, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Brandon Lloyd (85) makes a reception against the Indianapolis Colts during the third quarter at Gillette Stadium. The New England Patriots won 59-24. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

(This is another entry into Musket Fire’s ‘Positional Breakdown’ feature.)

Wide Receivers:

Under Contract for 2013:

Brandon Lloyd, Matthew Slater, Kamar Aiken

Brandon Lloyd:

Lloyd was brought in by the Patriots to bring an outside the numbers presence that had not been there since Randy Moss. While a lot of people say Lloyd did not have a good season, I disagree. He did have a very inconsistent year but he did make a lot of plays outside of the numbers that helped take some pressure off of Wes Welker and the TE’s. He did receive mostly one on one coverage throughout the year and I think he did a good job for the most part of taking advantage of that. He finished with 74 catches for 911 yards and 4 TD’s. That is pretty good production considering you are on the same offense that has Wes Welker, Aaron Hernandez, and Rob Gronkowski (granted the TE’s were not healthy for the whole season). Lloyd is a very good outside receiver but he can not bear the burden alone, and that is why the Pats need to get another vertical threat to help out Lloyd.

Matthew Slater:

Slater is really only a receiver for depth chart purposes. He is an exclusive special teamer, he rarely if ever plays at receiver for the Patriots. He is a very fast guy so occasionally he will run a ‘go’ route for them to try and get a quick score or something of that matter. Slater is a very good special teamer, but he is not a real threat at receiver.

Kamar Aiken: 

Aiken came on at the end of the year more for depth issues, and if the Pats do not add some receivers they will have to keep Aiken because they are really short on receivers. Aiken is a prospect that can be developed eventually but as of right now will probably not make much of an impact.

2013 Outlook:

The main thing the Patriots need to do for 2013 is resign Wes Welker. He is the second most important part of the Pats offense (behind Brady). Without him Tom Brady does not have his security blanket he has had over the last 5 seasons. Welker is almost impossible to cover one on one over the middle, he is also one of the toughest and most durable guys in the NFL. The Pats also should try and resign Julian Edelman, he is very athletic and makes a huge impact in special teams as well as on offense. The last thing the Patriots need to do in the offseason is get another vertical threat to help Brandon Lloyd outside of the numbers. They may go to the draft to assess this need or maybe they will turn to free agency. Dwayne Bowe may be someone the Pats should go after to help make their offense oven more lethal. Bottom line is, the Patriots need to add some receivers for next season because they are extremely thin there as of right now.

This has been a very busy week with many rumors about possible Patriots signings in the future. If you are like me, you are wondering how the Patriots could possibly have any money left to spend, BUT who cares as long as we have the best possible team, right? Let’s take a look at these rumored future Patriots:

Matt Forte, RB

This is a somewhat older rumor that the Patriots might be interested in making a trade for the Chicago Bears star RB Matt Forte. I’ll squash this rumor right now before anyone gets hopeful. With the Patriots already having a pretty full RB core, adding another seems very unlikely, especially after adding the veteran Joseph Addai. It would be great to have a star RB like Forte; the Pats would have a serious running threat for once since Corey Dillon. The big reason this won’t happen is to save money for the future. The Patriots need all the money they have to re-sign TE Rob Gronkowski once his rookie contract runs out. This may even come at the expense of losing TE Aaron Hernandez, since Gronk will look to become the highest paid TE in the league and they probably will be unable to afford to pay both the salary they desire/deserve. With that said, don’t ever expect to see Forte in a Patriots uniform unless it’s at the tail end of his career.

Dallas Clark, TE

Signing Dallas Clark may be a legitimate possibility since the Patriots actually held a work-out for him this past week. Why add another TE when they already have Gronk, Hernandez, and Dan Fells? Depth seems the obvious answer. Since Fells will likely be a primarily blocking TE (if he even makes the final roster), the Pats need another TE that’s ready to step in if one of the stars goes down. Clark has proven himself to be an exceptional receiver and will definitely make an impact if signed. Perhaps his signing could have more meaning than just depth, however. During the playoffs last season, the Patriots used Hernandez as a running back, and he actually did pretty well. It confused the heck out of defenses and made the plays very difficult to predict. Now that Josh McDaniels is back as offensive coordinator, he is going to get really creative with the “Boston TE Party.” One possibility available with signing Clark is utilizing a three TE situation. With Gronk and Clark lined up as TEs, Hernandez in the backfield as RB, AND Wes Welker/Brandon Lloyd/Ochocinco lined up as receivers, Tom Brady would have too many throwing options for defenses to comprehend. This could just be wishful thinking, but we’ll see.

Jim Leonhard, DB

Since Jim Leonhard is a free agent the Jets have yet to re-sign, there is the possibility that the Pats could be interested in him. A proven play-maker, Leonhard would add depth to the safety position that currently consists of Pat Chung and… that’s it. I know the Pats signed Steve Gregory and drafted Travon Wilson, but let’s be honest, there’s no real depth at this position just yet. Not only is Leonhard a good fit for the defense, he has also proven himself as a good special teams player, which Bill Belichick values. If he can stay healthy, he could be a valuable asset to the team, not to mention it would annoy Rex Ryan that he lost another player to the Patriots; always an added bonus!

Dwayne Bowe, WR

Yea. Dwayne Bowe. I heard this rumor today and was shocked but intrigued. Since the Patriots have a history of trading with the Kansas City Chiefs, this trade isn’t so far fetched. With the current situation the Patriots are in with re-signing Welker, perhaps they would be interested in trading him to the Chiefs along with another player/picks, as the Chiefs won’t part with Bowe easily. It’s time for Welker to realize he needs Tom Brady way more than Brady needs him. Don’t get me wrong, Welker is one of the best WRs in the league and a valuable asset to the Patriots, but without Brady, he was, and likely will be, nothing. The Patriots have a history of letting star players go when contract negotiations have gone sour and harsh words were tossed around (i.e Asante Samuel, Richard Seymour, Deion Branch), so if Welker knew what was good for him, he would shut up and sign before he’s shipped out and we see Bowe in silver and blue.