Patriots What If: Would they Sign Wes Welker if He Were Available?

If he were available, would the Patriots bring in Wes Welker to help soften the WR injury blow?

When New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman was declared to possibly miss rest of the season with a broken foot, I was not worried at all. With wideouts Brandon LaFell, Danny Amendola and Aaron Dobson still healthy, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady would have no problem making the adjustment.

However, during Monday night’s 20-13 win over the Bills, the Patriots suffered even more bad injury luck at the wide receiver position. Not only did Dobson leave the game early with an injury, Edelman’s natural replacement in the slot, Danny Amendola, left in the second half with a knee injury.

Now, it has since been reported that Amendola had just suffered a sprained knee, and is not expected to miss significant time. However, for a while there, many were expecting the worse and the Patriots are already dangerously thin at the position. I was thinking, who else would be able to step up to help Brady out?

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Wouldn’t it be awesome if there just happened to be a former star slot receiver who happened to have incredible rapport with Brady on the market? Oh wait, there was only a short two weeks ago.

Former Patriots and Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker signed a contract with the St.Louis Rams almost two weeks ago, and has yet to make a huge impact for the team. Having caught a total of 5 passes for 45 yards in his first two games with the Rams, he most likely will continue to have a small role with the Rams.

Once Dobson, and especially Amendola, went down with injury, one of my first thoughts was how nice it would be to have the option of signing Welker if he were available. Would that Patriots have actually brought Welker back?

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During Welker’s six-year stint with the Patriots, he was one of Brady’s favorite targets. Catching 672 passes for 7459 yards in his six seasons with the team, Welker presence and significance with the Patriots was noticeable.

One big factor that has killed Welker’s value is his concussion history. Having suffered three concussions in a nine month span, it puts jeopardy for Welker’s health for the future. In addition, it would also play a role for how much Welker could contribute to the team and how long he would  remain healthy for.

Another factor that would possibly kill Welker’s value toward getting another shot with the Patriots was his relationship with Patriots coach Bill Belichick. Though Belichick and Welker have said there is no more bad blood between them, you still wonder how things would play out if he returned to New England.

Welker could have been a low bargain and high reward option if the Patriots added him. Even with his concussion history and relationship with Belichick, it could have been worth the shot if he were still available, but the Patriots were sitting great at slot receiver with Edelman and Amendola at the time the Rams signed him.

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What do you think? If Welker were available as a free agent right, would you want the Patriots to sign him? Amendola will probably return soon, but he has a long injury history, and it sure would be nice to have some more insurance.