The Patriots' first preseason game of the season provided a lot of information about where the team could go this fall and where the roster currently stands, even if not every position is as cut and dry as some others. That remains the case with the wide receiver room, as they currently have 11 players hoping to make the 2025 roster and not much more clarity on who the frontrunners are, other than the presumed locks.
The depth chart beyond Stefon Diggs, DeMario Douglas, and Kyle Williams appears up for grabs, with a few players continuing to impress to inch their way closer to staying on the team. Interestingly, one of those players is second-year receiver Javon Baker, who had a rough rookie season and has already leapfrogged his fellow draftee Ja'Lynn Polk.
The former Washington player needed to have a strong summer to lock up a spot on the team after a disappointing 2024 season, but another injury that will keep him sidelined this week, as Mike Vrabel revealed after last week's preseason game, means his chances to make the team are rapidly decreasing.
Mike Vrabel says WR Ja’Lynn Polk won’t travel with the team to Minnesota for joint practices this week.
— Mike Kadlick (@mikekadlick) August 10, 2025
He left Friday’s game with an injury. pic.twitter.com/mBa8J9i67F
It has prompted many to suggest that Polk might be moved to IR and miss, at the very least, the first four games of the season. That opens up another spot in the receiving corps, and gives other players a solid chance at stealing a spot that might have otherwise gone to Polk.
Ja'Lynn Polk's injury status could lead to a big roster shake-up the Patriots didn't expect
Prioritizing surrounding Drake Maye with quality talent has been an apparent emphasis by the new regime and perhaps the most important, beyond the offensive line, is the receiving corps. They are fortunately in a situation where they have an overflow of talent competiting for the few roster spots available, which makes Polk's potentially impending injury designation all the more intriguing.
Although he has been widely considered and predicted to be a roster cut before the 2025 season begins, there is a good chance that won't happen, as he is a 2024 draft pick who didn't appear to get a proper chance as a rookie.
If he's placed on IR, that means he remains with the team but doesn't count against the 53-man roster at the start of the season, which might be the best case scenario for all involved. It allows Polk some assurance that he has a team, but it also allows Vrabel and Co. to keep around another receiver to see what he can do.
Maybe that will be Javon Baker, who is already seemingly carving a role for himself on special teams. Or perhaps it could be Kendrick Bourne, who many analysts believe will be either cut or traded for younger players despite having previously thrived in Josh McDaniels' offense.
Regardless of who it might ultimately be, Polk's status can throw a wrench into the Patriots' plans at the position and could be a deciding factor on the fate of some of his teammates.