New Arrival Making Strong Impression on Pats Coaching Staff
By Jovan Alford
The New England Patriots didn’t make a ton of blockbuster signings in free agency despite having a ton of cap space to work with.
The Pats decided to take a more conservative approach and signed quality free agents, who can improve the offense incrementally as they were one of the worst in the NFL last season.
One position that New England addressed in free agency was wide receiver. Last season, the Patriots struggled to get consistent production from their receivers, outside of rookie Demario Douglas, who was a lone bright spot. New England realized that for them to be successful in 2024, they need more weapons for whoever starts at quarterback.
Therefore, the team made an underrated move, signing former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver K.J. Osborn to a one-year, $4 million contract in March.
Osborn, who was the No. 3 wide receiver in Minnesota over the last few years, has a chance to have an expanded role in the Patriots’ offense this season. The veteran wide receiver has been making some noise in OTAs this offseason, which has caught the attention of WRs coach Tyler Hughes.
“He’s been a great leader. Very professional. Every day he comes in with a great mentality,” Hughes said (h/t ESPN’s Mike Reiss). “We can move him around because he’s intelligent and works at it; provides us a lot of versatility. He’s had a really, really strong spring.”
“He’s been a great leader. Very professional. Every day he comes in with a great mentality. We can move him around because he’s intelligent and works at it; provides us a lot of versatility. He’s had a really, really strong spring.” — WRs coach Tyler Hughes on K.J. Osborn (No. 2) pic.twitter.com/DYkK7NXhju
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) June 5, 2024
Last season with the Vikings, Osborn had 48 receptions (75 targets) for 540 yards and three touchdowns. While those stats were noticeably down from the previous two seasons, he would be considered one of the Patriots' best wide receivers last season.
Based on his performance in OTAs, Osborn should be one of the three starting wide receivers for the Patriots. However, it will likely be an open competition for the top three receiver spots as New England also used a couple of draft picks on Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker.
Nonetheless, if Osborn can play like the wide receiver we saw in Minnesota over the last three seasons, the Patriots’ passing game should be improved this season.
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