An NFL roster is never set as injury and performance can both lead teams to make transactions with the goal of securing quality and effectiveness. The New England Patriots are no strangers to this, and 2018 will likely be more of the same: since finalizing their initial 53-man squad on Saturday, the team has already made two roster moves – and more could be on the horizon when judged by a recent list of tryouts.
According to ESPN Boston’s Mike Reiss, New England brought a total of eight players in yesterday to take a closer look at them:
Patriots tryouts: RB Kenjon Barner, DB Quin Blanding, RB Matthew Dayes, WR Brandon Reilly, RB Aaron Ripkowski, LB Martrell Spaight, LB Anthony Winbush, WR Kendall Wright. Team always exploring options and updating emergency lists at this time of year.
The most intriguing name on the list of players above certainly is Kendall Wright. The former first-round draft pick was previously named as one of the wide receivers the Patriots might look to add after cutdown day, and it seems as if he is indeed on the team’s radar in some capacity. This does not come as a surprise considering that New England has just four pure wide receivers on its roster after letting waiver wire pickup Amara Darboh go again.
Wright in particular would bring plenty of experience and past production to the table: he has appeared in 82 games over the course of his career and caught 339 passes for 3,858 yards and 19 touchdowns. However, he never lived up to his status as a first-round draft pick and was cut by his third team in the last three years on Saturday. Maybe a change of scenery could help him finally live up to his potential.
The 28-year old is the biggest name on the list, but the Patriots could also aim at picking one of the other players up in the future: as Reiss notes, updating emergency call-up lists is important considering how quickly things develop in the NFL. One injury could put plenty of pressure on a team’s depth chart and consequently lead to adding to the team. Knowing who would fit beforehand is therefore due diligence.