It feels like everyone on the New England Patriots is on notice this offseason now that Mike Vrabel is in charge.
Vrabel is looking to guide the Patriots back to prominence after back-to-back abysmal 4-13 seasons. To do so, he’ll have to make some tough decisions, which already happened this offseason with the Patriots releasing longtime veteran leaders David Andrews and Joe Cardona.
New England’s offensive unit will face plenty of scrutiny heading into the new season after underperforming the last few years. And Adam Pellerin said on NESN’s “Boston Has Entered The Chat” podcast that Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker could be looking over their shoulders given the changes made to the wide receiver room this offseason.
“I would say the two second-year wide receivers,” Pellerin said. “Based on the expectation you had, especially for Polk, last year. Didn’t live up to that. A lot of drops. I think they had 13 catches between the two of them and I think Polk had 12 of them. I think they’re on the hot seat because of the fact that you brought in guys this offseason. You drafted Kyle Williams. You brought in Stefon Diggs. You brought in Mack Hollins.”
The Patriots currently have 12 receivers on their roster, creating plenty of competition for both Polk and Baker.
New England likely will want to see if it can get more out of Polk in his second NFL season after the Patriots used a second-round pick on him. Baker is another story, though. If the UCF product continues to be ineffective, the Patriots will probably move on from him since they have other options available.
