The New England Patriots Roster Moves: Is It Enough?
Coming off of an embarrassing loss to the Miami Dolphins, 27-20, on Monday night, the New England Patriots are already on the move and making roster changes ahead of their very important game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. They announced Wednesday morning that they had signed wide receiver Kenny Britt and re-signed defensive lineman Ricky Jean Francois. The Patriots also let go of linebacker Jonathan Freeny and wide receiver Bernard Reedy, along with adding offensive lineman Marcus Cannon onto the Injured Reserve list. That was a mouthful, but the most important move to take notice of is the signing of Britt.
Welcome, Britt!
Kenny Britt started his football career as a first-round pick (30th overall) in the 2009 NFL Draft, drafted by the Tennessee Titans. Britt was then signed by the then St. Louis Rams in 2014, and then signed to the Cleveland Browns in 2017. He was let go by the Browns less than a week ago and is now playing for a playoff contending team, the New England Patriots. Imagine going from the worst team in the NFL to the always Super Bowl contending New England Patriots? What a culture shock.
Britt is considered a pretty great wide receiver. He had one of his best seasons in 2016 when he was with the Rams but unfortunately has had some trouble this season with the Browns. On the field, he hasn’t been able to catch balls. It sounds crazy, but the amount of passes that he hasn’t been able to connect with is enough to make it a big deal. And off the field, he is known for getting into trouble and not being in the right places. So with all this being said, what could the Patriots possibly be up to with signing him?
Britt The Next Floyd?
It is no surprise that the New England Patriots find wide receivers in the weirdest of situations. For example, last season during this time, the Patriots signed Michael Floyd. He was a sufficient target for Tom Brady because he added depth to their WR list. And maybe that’s what they are trying to do with Britt. Britt is a beast of a man. He is 6’3 and adds so much size to the Patriots offensive roster that is currently lacking in this department. Here is the current rosters size chart:
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Along with Rob Gronkowski and Jacob Hollister, it will be difficult to match up with Britt.
As we saw with the Miami Dolphins game this past week, the Dolphins were on top of every Patriots’ wide receiver. Brandin Cooks, who has become Brady’s go-to man, was completely shut down Monday night. With signing Britt, they can give Brady a much taller target and be able to compete with any man-to-man coverage.That is if, he can catch Brady’s passes thrown to him. Which I’m sure Bill Belichick will push in practice.
What Does This Mean For Malcolm Mitchell?
Well, it means bad news for Patriots fans because it looks like Malcolm Mitchell will not be returning this season. There would be no need to sign Britt if it looked like Mitchell was coming back soon, but that’s not the case. Mitchell’s knee issues resurfaced back in September and there has been no word of him returning since. With signing Britt, it looks like Mitchell will need to focus on being healthy for next season.
Money Moves
In the wise words of rapper Cardi B., the Patriots are out here making money moves, but will they pay off? Honestly, we will just have to wait and see. I wouldn’t doubt Belichick’s and Brady’s ability to adapt and move with the change. If Britt can get on the program, it can add so much needed depth to the Patriots offensive line. It can also help the Patriots make that final push for the Super Bowl. Hopefully, we can get a feel for Britt when the New England Patriots take on the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday.