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As you probably already know, the Patriots recently worked out veteran wide receiver Eric Decker. This could be nothing more than just a “we’re just seeing if there is anything there” kind of thing, and it could ultimately amount to nothing.
But let’s say for the sake of discussion that Bill Belichick decides to go ahead and sign Decker to what would probably be a one-year contract (maybe two at the most), it would be a pretty New England Patriot kind of signing, considering the current status of Julian Edelman. Due to the four-game suspension that stemmed from that bizarre violation of the PED policy that Edelman somehow found himself tangled up in, it wouldn’t be bad to have a guy like Decker on the roster catching bullets and rainbows from Tom Brady, no?
It would basically be like a “lose one guy, sign another guy” kind of thing that Belichick certainly hasn’t been hesitant to do in the past. The best example I can think of, if you can think all the way back to the offseason right after the Patriots were eliminated from the 2012-13 playoffs, when longtime Brady target Wes Welker left New England to join the Denver Broncos in free agency. It was a tough loss because, for five years (would’ve been six if not for Brady’s lost 2008 season), there was no better quarterback-receiver tandem in the NFL than Brady and Welker.
But Welker’s departure didn’t seem to faze Belichick in the slightest. Almost immediately after Welker signed with Denver, the Patriots signed Danny Amendola with the assumption that he would take over the role that Welker left vacant. There was barely any hesitation at all. After six seasons, Welker was gone, and then pretty much the very next day, his replacement was here.
With Edelman gone for four games, Decker could step in and somewhat fill that void until he returns. Would the chemistry between Brady and Decker be the same as it has been with Edelman over the last five years? Of course not, but Decker is certainly no scrub receiver. And working with Brady and the New England offense would probably make him look like a Hall of Famer.
Not to mention, Decker spent a handful of years with the New York Jets, so it’s about time he pulls a “Revis” and experiences what it’s like to be one of the good guys.