New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will be without one of his favorite targets for the first 4 weeks of the season. These 3 guys will be looked upon to make some important catches.
We all know that Tom Brady is an amazing quarterback. He will go down as the greatest quarterback in New England Patriots history. Still, Brady has quite the challenge this season.
Brady will be without one of his favorite targets for the first month of the season. Julian Edelman is suspended and that means Brady will have to find some new favorite pass catchers.
There are definitely guys that Brady already has chemistry with, but some guys will have to have the best seasons of their career.
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Now even though Edelman will be back, some players will be ahead of him. He will be the No.1 receiver when he returns, but let’s focus on the other guys who will have to step up in his absence.
So let’s try and predict Brady’s favorite targets this season.
1. Rob Gronkowski
Without a doubt, Rob Gronkowski will be Tom Brady’s first look throughout the season. It seems that no one can cover Gronk. He is an athletic freak.
Gronkowski is a humongous human who can gain separation and leap up to make amazing catches but can also blow by linebackers if defenses dare to disrespect the tight end.
I think that this could be a career year for Gronkowski. He should get plenty of targets and I predict plenty of 100 plus yard games.
Defenses will be doing all they can to stop Gronkowski, but I don’t think they will be too successful.
2. James White
James White may be a running back, but Tom Brady will be looking to get him involved in the New England Patriots passing game.
Last season White had 56 catches for 429 yards and 3 touchdowns. Those are numbers that some wide receivers would hope to have.
Whether White is coming out of the backfield or lining up out wide, James can get it done in the passing game.
With Edelman out early on, Brady will have to rely on his backs. With a limited number of quality wide receivers to throw to, Brady may have to dump the ball off to his running backs to save a play. This could lead to some big gains from White.
White has proven that he can perform in high-pressure scenarios. He was dominant in the Patriots last Super Bowl win racking up 14 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown.
I think White will be making defenders miss in the open field and scoring plenty of touchdowns this season.
3. Phillip Dorsett
The first two guys that were mentioned have already had great success with Tom Brady. Phillip Dorsett is hoping that this season will be his turn.
Dorsett has struggled since entering the NFL. He seems to have amazing speed but struggles to get open. This season I think Dorsett will have better luck.
With Julian Edelman out, Dorsett will be the No.2 wide receiver for the first month and after will slide down to No.3. This means that Dorsett will definitely be seeing the ball a lot more. Opposing defenses will be focused on Rob Gronkowski and Chris Hogan. This gives Dorsett a chance to cause some damage.
I expect the Patriots to use Dorsett’s speed in the slot so he can catch short passes and do damage in the open field, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the wide receiver go deep as well. If Brady and Dorsett can connect it will mean trouble for the opposing team.
So even though Tom Brady and the New England Patriots will be missing Edelman for the first four games of the season, I think they will do just fine.