Tom Brady on new Patriots target Mohamed Sanu: ‘I’ve watched him for a long time’

Mohamed Sanu stands three practices into his New England Patriots career.

But the 30-year-old wideout, acquired from the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for a 2020 second-round pick on Tuesday, is in good standing with his new quarterback.

“It’s been a good week,” Tom Brady told reporters of Sanu’s acclimation during his press conference Friday. “It’s been a good week. It’s been fun to get to know him. I’ve watched him for a long time, and always impressed by his abilities, his attitude and it’s just been great to have him out there. Hopefully we’ll get him up to speed as fast as possible.”

New England’s active receiver depth chart currently includes Sanu, Julian Edelman, Phillip Dorsett, Jakobi Meyers, Gunner Olszewski and captain Matthew Slater after Josh Gordon was placed on injured reserve Wednesday. No. 32 overall pick N’Keal Harry is eligible to come off IR for his rookie debut next week.

But Sanu arrives this week with 4,300 receiving yards, 215 rushing yards, 233 passing yards and 31 total touchdowns on his NFL odometer. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Rutgers product originally entered the league in the third round of the 2012 draft, and spent four seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals before signing with Atlanta in 2016.

Sanu started six of his final seven games as a Falcon this fall, catching 33 passes for 313 yards and one touchdown while primarily working out of the slot.

His first catch as a Patriot could surface shortly after 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.

“I think it’s his willingness to embrace this opportunity,” Brady said, “and he brings a lot of juice. It’s good to have. It’s good to see someone that’s competitive. Obviously I’ve watched him, but if you watch him play, he plays with an attitude. He’s got a little chip on his shoulder, too, so I think we can relate to each other. He can relate to a guy like Julian because he was often overlooked in his career, and he plays that way.”