New England Patriots rumors: Why the possibility of Eric Decker makes sense

Now that the New England Patriots have more question marks than answers at the wide receiver position, possibly adding veteran free agent Eric Decker makes sense.

Just weeks ago, the idea of veteran free agent wide receiver Eric Decker in a New England Patriots uniform didn’t make a whole lot of sense.

Now, with Julian Edelman facing a four-game suspension to start the season and Malcolm Mitchell facing a path of uncertainly, adding a player like Decker to Tom Brady’s repertoire of weapons is something worth entertaining.

And you know what?

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It appears the Patriots are thinking along those same lines.

According to ESPN NFL Insider Field Yates Tuesday, a source confirmed that the team did host Decker for a workout Monday.

The interest comes more than a month after the veteran wide receiver said in an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio that the Patriots would be a good fit.  The mere fact that he was drafted by Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels when he was head coach with the Denver Broncos supports that theory. So does his past production, but can he physically still do it?

A veteran who can help

At 31 years old, Eric Decker has certainly slowed, but his experience and how well he adapts to the system could make up for that.  At this point, the Patriots would take the 54 passes for 563 yards he produced last season with the Tennessee Titans.

If nothing else, his size would be a benefit to the team in short yardage and goal line situations.  Also, bringing in a player like Decker could help a couple of the younger receivers and certainly push players like Kenny Britt, Jordan Matthews and Cordarrelle Patterson.

Overall, it will be interesting to see if the New England Patriots eventually sign Decker.  While his best seasons are behind him, he may just have something left to help Brady and the Patriots’ offense thrive towards another Super Bowl appearance.

Of course, that is another reason a short-term marriage between the Patriots and Eric Decker made sense in the first place.

"“At this point in my career, I want to go somewhere where I can compete for a Super Bowl and be in a good system and be with a quarterback that my skill set would be an addition to the team,” Decker said in the SiriusXM Radio interview back in June."

Though he has played a couple seasons catching the ball from Peyton Manning, Decker hasn’t played with the best quarterbacks.  During his overall career with the Broncos, New Jets and Tennessee Titans, Decker has racked up 439 receptions for 5,816 yards with 53 touchdowns.  Included in those statistics were some big games against the New England Patriots.

If both sides believe he has enough left to make an impact in 2019, teaming Tom Brady up with Eric Decker now makes a lot of sense.

Again, without Julian Edelman for the first four games of the season, a veteran like Decker could at least help the offense chug along depending on how quickly he picks up the system.