Coming into the 2024 season, the Patriots were expected to have one of the weaker receiving corps in the league despite their efforts to improve the roster by double-dipping at the position in the draft. Unfortunately, that has been proven accurate through nine games so far, becoming one of the many factors not benefitting rookie quarterback Drake Maye early in his career.
Besides their forgettable performances on the field, there has been a lot of drama surrounding the group all season, with many taking to social media to air out their dirty laundry.
It began during the offseason when rookie Javon Baker went on Instagram live during a traffic stop, which was not received well by the coaching staff. Eventually, many of his teammates also created controversy online, but for different reasons.
From Ja'Lynn Polk and Tyquan Thornton to K.J. Osborn and since released Jalen Reagor, nearly every wide receiver on the team has made some sort of negative post about their experience on the team this year, many of which stemming from their lack of inclusion in the offensive game plan.
Trying to understand why this might be happening is more complicated than just a disappointed roster due to losing more games than winning. The crew at NBC Sports Boston attempted to solve it on Monday but to no avail.
"There's something that's messed up in that room."@AlbertBreer and @GregABedard weigh in on issues with the Patriots wide receivers on Sports Sunday 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/YMqSCwDcFi
— Patriots Coverage on NBCS Boston (@NBCSPatriots) November 4, 2024
The ongoing problems with the wide receivers goes deeper than just unhappiness with snap counts
As Greg Bedard, Albert Breer, and Mike Felger discuss, nothing that has happened regarding the receivers makes much sense. The team is filled with players with impeccable reputations, so to see them speak out or have negative attitudes must point to something bigger than what might typically be plaguing a losing team.
The easiest direction to look to is the coaching staff. The wide receivers coach, Tyler Hughes, is in his first year with the Patriots and in the NFL, which could explain some of the issues. But could there be an even bigger issue?
We'll likely never know unless someone on the staff or a player decides to speak out. It's fair to assume that will not happen, but something has to change because the problem doesn't appear to improve as the weeks go on. If anything, it's getting worse and could continue that way after last week's decision to healthy scratch Osborn and Thornton.
This just adds another layer to the struggles the new regime is dealing with this season, raising more questions about the decision to hire several staff members.
Whatever is going on, it's not a good look, and it would be best to nip it in the bud as soon as possible instead of letting the negativity fester and eventually boil over.