The New England Patriots added a receiver at the NFL trade deadline.
*The crowd goes wild*
It’s Miami Dolphins receiver Isaiah Ford!
*Whispers: Who?*
You may have never heard of the receiver. That’s generally the nature of an intra-division trade. Divisional rivals rarely exchange stars. Ford will bring depth to New England’s receiving corps, an already-lackluster group weakened by injuries. Julian Edelman ended up on injured reserve last week with a knee injury, and N’Keal Harry missed Week 8 with a concussion. So the Patriots were left with Damiere Byrd, Jakobi Meyers and Gunner Olszewski in a loss to the Buffalo Bills. Practice squad receiver Isaiah Zuber has also made minor contributions when elevated to the game day roster.
How might Ford contribute? Well, he’s a versatile threat.
“[Isaiah’s] smart,” Dolphins coach Brian Flores said recently. “He knows multiple positions. He’s where he’s supposed to be really a majority of the time. He’s dependable, he’s accountable, and he’s gotten open and made some plays in some critical situations.”
It’s a humble description for the 6-foot-2, 200-pound receiver, who entered the NFL in 2017 as a seventh round pick out of Virginia Tech. Since then, he’s amassed 41 receptions for 428 yards over 16 career games. In 2020, he has logged 18 catches for 184 yards. The receiving yards total would be good enough for third in New England’s lackluster offense, which ranks last in passing touchdowns (3) and 29th in passing yards per game (192).
Ford isn’t a game-changer. His speed won’t take the top off a defense, but he moves well. The truth is that the Patriots’ needs are so dire at receiver that Ford looks like a decent depth player. He’s also not going to be major financial investment from a salary standpoint — and though the terms of the trade are to-be-announced, it’s likely he didn’t cost the Patriots much in the way of draft capital. It’s a small move to help New England in 2020, and it won’t really cost them much in 2021.
[vertical-gallery id=97436]