The Patriots are expected to hire Josh McDaniels as OC under new HC Mike Vrabel, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. It's a homecoming for McDaniels, who had two previous stints with New England. He ran the offense from 2006 to 2008 and then again from 2012 to 2021. The Patriots ranked top eight in points in 12 of McDaniels' 13 seasons and top 11 in yards in 10 of 13. Of course, the majority of those offenses were quarterbacked by Tom Brady. In three years without Brady, McDaniels' Patriots finished eighth, 27th, and sixth in points; fifth, 27th, and 15th in yards. McDaniels also spent two seasons as Broncos HC (2009-2010), one as Rams OC (2011), and two as Raiders HC (2022-2023). None of those teams ranked better than 12th in yards or points. McDaniels has shown the ability to morph his offense to fit the personnel, with eight top-10 finishes in rushing yards and 10 top-10 finishes in passing yards. He's not as exciting for QB Drake Maye and this Patriots offense as Ben Johnson or even Liam Coen would have been. But McDaniels is at least a known commodity and should bring some stability to this offense in 2025. We'll see what the team does this offseason to upgrade the offensive line and skill positions.
Patriots WR Ja’Lynn Polk (concussion) practiced all week and has been cleared to play vs. the Titans this weekend. The rookie has totaled just 10 catches for 78 yards across seven games this season and shouldn’t be anywhere near Week 9 fantasy lineups.
Patriots WR Ja’Lynn Polk (concussion) missed practice all week and is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Jets. The rookie is off to a rough start, catching just 10 of 26 targets for 78 yards and one TD through seven games. Kayshon Boutte, Demario Douglas, and Kendrick Bourne figure to operate as New England’s top three WRs this weekend.
Patriots WR Ja'Lynn Polk is in concussion protocol, HC Jerod Mayo said Wednesday. That makes the rookie iffy for this weekend's game vs. the Jets. Polk, of course, is well off the redraft radar right now. He's caught just 10 of 26 targets for 78 yards through seven games.
Patriots QB Drake Maye will start this weekend's game vs. the Texans, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. New England hung on to QB Jacoby Brissett as long as it could -- but you can only stick with a QB averaging 5.2 yards per attempt for so long.
Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne (knee) has been activated from the PUP list and will make his 2024 debut vs. the Dolphins on Sunday, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. It'll be Bourne's first action since last October's torn ACL.
Patriots WR K.J. Osborn drew a team-high 6 targets in Sunday's upset win over the Bengals, catching just three for 21 yards. Those 3 receptions tied him with RB Rhamondre Stevenson for the team lead. No Patriot tallied more than 31 receiving yards, as QB Jacoby Brissett threw for only 121 yards on 15-of-24 passing. That target lead for Osborn also proved deceptive vs. the WR corps playing time.
Patriots QB Jacoby Brissett has been the starter for their opening week game against the Bengals. He was in a competition with rookie Drake Maye, who appeared toto be pulling closer to Brissett in the past week. Ultimately HC Jerod Mayo will go with the veteran presence early in the season, but Maye, the third overall pick in this year's draft, will likely become the starter sooner rather than later.
Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne will open the regular season on the physically unable to perform list, according to multiple reports. That means Bourne will miss at least the first four games while continuing to work back from last October's ACL tear.
Patriots WRs Ja'Lynn Polk and Tyquan Thornton appear headed to starting roles for the start of the regular season. Polk has been working with the top offensive unit throughout the week, while Thornton continues playing the X WR role with that same first team.
The Patriots are releasing WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, according to NFL Network. He was entering the second season of a three-year, $25.5 million deal signed last offseason.
Patriots rookie WR Ja'Lynn Polk has impressed over his first week of training camp. NESN's Sean T. McGuire praised Polk's work across multiple drills and situations Tuesday, adding that the rookie "continues to stack [good] days."
Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, when asked about the team's QB competition, Patriots HC Jerod Mayo commented that Jacoby Brissett "is the starting QB at this point in time".
ESPN's Mike Reiss posited this week who the early favorites might be to lead the Patriots at WR. "Former Viking K.J. Osborn ... has positioned himself as an early leader among Patriots receivers," Reiss wrote. "Second-year slot receiver DeMario Douglas appears as quick as ever. Add in [rookie Ja'Lynn] Polk, and that could be the team's top three targets if everyone is healthy." That assessment came amid a longer intro that focused on Polk's work. The second-round pick has reportedly impressed with his work in practice. He -- and the others -- face a seemingly wide-open fight for jobs in a WR corps that stunk last year and didn't spend much on adding to it this offseason.
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