Patriot position battles: Wide receiver

By Os Davis  |   Thursday, May 29, 2008  |  Comments( 2 )

New England Patriots
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans!
The New England Patriots will begin the 2008 campaign with a Boston Celticesque big three of their own at wide receiver in Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Jabar Gaffney (contract-year version). You and the remainder of Western Civilization surely knew that, but while the battle for the lower rungs on the depth chart ladder at the position will be less intense than that of 2007, some intrigue awaits the Patriot backer.

A look at a few contenders looking to earn the right to play with the big boys next season.

Kelley Washington. Arriving in the wholesale wide receiver haul of 2007, Washington spent his season on special teams. Not that the Pats are complaining, taking time to rework Washington’s original five-year, $22 million contract, a deal filled with incentive bonuses. Figure Washington to again be the invisible force on special teams; this year, though, he may also see some time in four-WR sets.

Chad Jackson. Surely 2008 is Jackson’s make-or-break year with the Patriots, and perhaps as a viable starter in the league altogether. After making a rare trade up on draft weekend, Bill Belichick & Co. grabbed the former Florida Gator at No. 36 overall in 2006. Thanks to a handful of factors, Jackson hasn't yet made any impact in the pros.

Instead, Jackson suffered a hamstring injury in the offseason, missing the preseason and keeping him well under expected performance levels throughout '06. He played sporadically in a handful of games, capping his season with an ACL tear in the AFC championship. For the subsequent rehab period, Jackson was physically unable to perform until 2007 and saw little action at receiver during the season. Jackson enters this year as essentially a twice-delayed rookie season (or perhaps a once-delayed sophomore season), albeit one with a ticking clock for a contract.

Matthew Slater. The Patriots’ 2008 draft class wasn’t awe inspiring, but depending on the performance of Slater, that opinion may need reconsideration in future. On the other hand, Slater may make his mark in other areas. The son of Hall of Fame offensive lineman Jackie Slater, Matthew played cornerback, safety and returned kicks aside from receiving duties when needed at UCLA: Surely a huge plus for New England scouts imaging him as at very least the second coming of Troy Brown. And the inside word (inside blog?) has Slater spending more time playing on the defensive side of the ball at minicamps.

Sam Aiken. The five-year Buffalo Bill represents the sole free-agent signing at the position (unless you include the re-inking of Gaffney) by the Patriots in offseason 2008. Like many of the other contenders listed here, much of Aiken’s resume is weighted to the returns and he “will view to become a core member of the Patriots' special teams units.” Speaking kindly of Aiken’s career as a receiver thus far, one could charitably deem it “underwhelming” or uncharitably dismiss the fourth-rounder as an utter disappointment. With that said, he was a terrific special teamer in Buffalo, whose ST unit has been among the league's best the past few years.

C.J. Jones. Certainly the longest of long shots here, Jones hasn’t made it past an NFL preseason since his rookie year of 2003. Though never quite managing to make an impact in the bigs, Jones’ frequent flier miles stat has to be impressive. Jones has played with the Cleveland Browns and Seattle Seahawks in the NFL and two NFL Europa clubs (the Cologne Centurions and Berlin Thunder).

Robert Ortiz. Like Jones, Ortiz’s odometer has had a workout, logging playing time with the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League, San Diego Chargers (offseason) and Seahawks (offseason) after playing four seasons with San Diego State. Interestingly enough, notes Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe, Ortiz was selected in the All-American Football League draft. Who knew?

Unlike Jones, whose career and various travel itineraries are divulged in detail over at the Pats' Web site, Ortiz’s bio is astoundingly short.

Boy, someone’s going to have to apologize when Ortiz officially becomes No. 5 receiver for 2008.

Considering all contenders throughout the year at RealFootball365.com
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans! (2)

About Os Davis

Os Davis has taken a twisted route to get to RealFootball365.com in his nearly 17 years in professional writing, working in any number of capacities in the sportswriting, news reporting and film criticism worlds. In print media, Os has served as editor at a few publications, including Albuquerque's...
read more
Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report