FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — With the Patriots’ first training camp practice set for July 25, the team’s crowded wide receiver room is one of the top roster questions heading into camp. The group is headlined by trade acquisition A.J. Brown and $17-million-a-year free agent Romeo Doubs, with Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams, DeMario “Pop” Douglas and Efton Chism III also atop the depth chart.
Patriots Hall of Famer Troy Brown said the receiver position is the top spot he’ll watch this summer and noted that seven receivers can work when all the players are capable contributors. “Seven is a nice number when all the guys can play,” he said, pointing to how competition in a room can raise the level for everyone.
The team last had a similar receiver configuration in Brown’s final season in 2007, when the room included Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Jabar Gaffney, Donte’ Stallworth, Kelley Washington, Chad Jackson and Brown. Typically, teams keep five or six receivers on the initial 53-man roster, although seven is not out of the question.
Brown emphasized the mental side of the competition, saying players must tighten every part of their game — from making plays to executing blocks and contributing on special teams. “It’s the mindset, ‘I can’t afford to not make this play. I can’t afford not to know what to do. I can’t afford to miss that block or not be a special teams player,'” he said, adding that the intensity should make the group better by the end of camp.
Acquiring A.J. Brown in a June 1 trade should ripple through the roster, Troy Brown said, noting that great players bring others along with their work and presence. Veteran safety Kevin Byard said he already saw a connection developing between Drake Maye and A.J. Brown in early June practices. Brown’s routines in minicamp — finishing drills last at times to earn respect, then finishing mandatory minicamp as the first receiver in drills and leading the stretch line — were also noted.
Mack Hollins’ work with A.J. Brown in practice drew interest for schematic possibilities, with Troy Brown calling Hollins a “lunch pail guy” who brings toughness, emotion and the ability to make big plays. An unexpected injury or a rumored Boutte trade could alter the count before the season opener Sept. 9 in Seattle.
