In 2019, the Patriots passing game was held under a magnifying glass for the entire season. Pundits questioned whether or not they’d ever reach their full potential while fans pined for the days when they were going full throttle.
Week 1 against the Steelers looked like a completely different team than the one that took the field every week following, and in the end, they didn’t have enough to make a deep run.
It didn’t help that there were multiple factors that hampered the receiving corps. Julian Edelman spent the whole season dealing with a shoulder injury. Josh Gordon was placed on injured reserve before eventually being cut, signed by Seattle, and then suspended. N’Keal Harry missed the first nine games of the season. Defensive back turned punt returner and wide receiver, Gunner Olszewski missed half the year with multiple leg injuries.
Oh, and who could forget Antonio Brown’s tumultuous 11-day Patriots tenure that’s still negatively affecting the club to this day.
The wide receiver group was one of the most interesting to follow this season. How did they grade out?
Julian Edelman
Grade: A
At 33, Edelman proved, once again, that his name deserves to be up there with some of the best wide receivers in the game. Fighting through injuries, he put up 1,117 yards and six touchdowns on 100 receptions. He also threw for a touchdown. Without him, this offense was going nowhere.
Phillip Dorsett
Grade: C+
Dorsett had his most productive year in New England in 2019. His fifth season saw him produce 397 yards and five touchdowns on 29 receptions. He did a decent job filling in as that third and even second option for stretches of the season, but it’s clear he’s not suited to be an every day WR2.
Mohamed Sanu
Grade: C
Sanu was acquired midseason in a trade from the Atlanta Falcons. He was expected to come in to make a quick impact. However, after his second game in New England where he had 10 receptions, Sanu was mostly underwhelming. He finished his half-season with the Patriots with 207 yards and one touchdown on 26 receptions. A few timely drops hurt his reputation, but he was learning on the fly, so a full offseason should help him become a solid contributor in 2020.
N’Keal Harry
Grade: C
Harry’s rookie campaign didn’t get off to the best start when he went down in training camp with an ankle injury. It wouldn’t be until Week 10 that the Patriots got to see their first-round pick in action. The former Sun Devil ended the year with 12 receptions for 105 yards and two touchdowns. He flashed a bit, but he also had some rookie mistakes like his effort on a pass that got intercepted against Houston that left him on the bench for the remainder of the game.
Josh Gordon
Grade: C-
It was a surprise to most that Gordon got to play at all in 2019 after another suspension cut short his 2018 season. He never really lived up to the projection of being the second wide receiver, but he still had the athleticism and some semblance of production that endeared him to fans. His last play was him giving maximum effort to trying to chase down a defender following a turnover. At the end of the day, he was cut after an injury just six games into the season after putting up 287 yards and a touchdown on 20 catches.
Jakobi Myers
Grade: C-
Myers produced well for a rookie wide receiver in New England, never mind the fact that he was an undrafted rookie. His 26 receptions for 359 yards were respectable. It was evident that he had some skill after leading the whole NFL in yards and receptions during the preseason. Some of that carried over into the regular season, but it was obvious that he was still at the bottom of the depth chart. If these grades were scaled upon expectations, Myers would certainly move up.
Gunner Olszewski
Grade: D
As just a wide receiver, Olszewski had a lot of room to grow and learn. However, his season was cut short just halfway through. He only brought in two receptions for 34 yards as the literal last guy on the roster. If he’s to make the team in 2020, he’ll likely make it as the punt returner again.
Antonio Brown
Grade: F
Brown has to be looked at as a whole. He was paid $10 million to be in New England, and he lasted 11 days. The Patriots cut him after he faced allegations of sexual assault and separate accusations of sexual harassment and sending intimidating text messages. While he looked impressive on the field in his one game against Miami, he was nothing more than a waste of money and energy.
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