A few weeks ago, the New England Patriots’ pass-catchers were disappearing. Their offensive playmakers seemed reserved to Julian Edelman and the team’s running backs.
However, New England patiently waited, and added Demaryius Thomas in free agency and retained Josh Gordon in restricted free agency. The Patriots then selected N’Keal Harry in the first round of the 2019 draft. The depth chart at receiver looks legitimate — and perhaps even formidable.
The receiver position battle is the most competitive one in the NFL, according to NFL Network analyst and retired NFL receiver Nate Burleson.
“Julian Edelman: Tom Brady’s best friend, Super Bowl MVP, fantastic talent. Y’all know how I feel about Julian. Hall of Famer in my eyes,” Burleson said Tuesday on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football.”
“N’Keal Harry is in town, and I feel like N’Keal Harry, even though he’s young, even though he understands he’s at the Patriots and he’s gonna wait his time and wait his turn, he wants to be Tom Brady’s best friend,” Burleson continued. “He wants to be Tom Brady’s No. 1 target. Not to mention, Julian Edelman should get paid. He’s in contract negotiations with the Patriots, kind of? I’m not sure they want to extend his contract and break him off because the Patriots do what the Patriots do, which means they let guys go toward the end of their career. N’Keal Harry will come in and immediately be one of Tom Brady’s favorite targets. So the quarterback competition/battle is N’Keal Harry vs. Julian Edelman: Who will be Tom Brady’s favorite target this season?”
