As the New England Patriots begin to prepare for a busy 2021 offseason, there comes a time when we evaluate players roles for the upcoming year. In a year where so many players trended downward, Jakobi Meyers bucked that trend.
The undrafted free agent established himself in 2019 as a good fringe receiver who could have a future in the New England offense. In 2020, he expanded on that role. Not only did he expand on that role, he exceeded expectations. Meyers became the go-to target for quarterback Cam Newton, and he really showed what he could do.
On the year, Meyers recorded 59 catches for 729 yards. In addition to recording impressive statistics, he also had some career games.
He recorded two 100-yard games with his first one against the New York Jets on November 9. That sort of got the ball rolling for Myers, and Newton and the rest of the offense began to see him as a trusted target. His second 100-yard game came against Miami on December 20. Catching 10 passes for 111 yards, he reaffirmed that he could be a valued piece in this offense.
However, it is no secret that this offense needs a legitimate No. 1 receiver. That’s not to say that what Meyers did should be discredited. He performed very well. What that does mean is that he may suffer a downturn in production.
Unlike 2019, where he was sort of a fringe receiver, who was getting used to the offense, he now definitely deserves a place within it. As a result, I could see him becoming a very good complementary weapon in this offense. I would expect to see a downward trend in his numbers next year, but only because New England will be able to get other weapons at receiver.
This does not speak to the fact that I think his skills will diminish. I think he will continue to be a trustworthy weapon. However, I think his role will diminish a bit. In this case, that would be a good thing. Having a very good secondary receiver like Meyers will only serve to make the offense more explosive. I see him settling into this offense, and continuing to put up very good numbers.
The groundwork has been set for Meyers to really take off and be successful. I see him building upon that success in 2021.
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