The New England Patriots’ free company is way from over. After not signing a single participant between Thursday and Saturday, the workforce jumped again into the market on Sunday so as to add former Minnesota Vikings huge receiver Okay.J. Osborn on a one-year contract.
A former fifth-round draft decide, Osborn has some strong manufacturing on his profession résumé. What’s going to he convey to New England, although? Let’s dissect the signing from a big-picture perspective to search out out.
Extra huge receiver depth…
With Osborn becoming a member of the Patriots, they now have 9 huge receivers underneath contract for the 2024 season. Not too long ago re-signed Kendrick Bourne and sophomore DeMario Douglas sit atop the projected depth chart, with Osborn, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton, Jalen Reagor, Kayshon Boutte, T.J. Luther, and Kawaan Baker additionally a part of the combo.
Not less than formally, DeVante Parker is as nicely. However whereas his previously-reported launch has not but been processed, that means he stays on the energetic roster as of now, the idea is that the transfer will hit the transaction wire quickly.
…and positionally versatility
Osborn has proven he can line up everywhere in the formation, taking part in the X-, Z-, and slot receiver roles throughout his time in Minnesota. In New England, he would possibly assist enhance the depth on the perimeter: with DeVante Parker out the door, the most effective choices to fill the X spot in the intervening time seem like Osborn, Jalen Reagor, Tyquan Thornton and, to a lesser diploma, T.J. Luther.
Ideally, nonetheless, Osborn would play extra of a Z function within the mould of Kendrick Bourne. With the lately re-signed Bourne recovering from a torn ACL suffered final October, having seasoned depth and confirmed manufacturing behind him might turn out to be vital.
Most of Okay.J. Osborn’s manufacturing final season got here on crossers and digs. These have been sometimes vs zone, however he did a pleasant job leaning into defenders and snapping off routes to separate vs man
Greatest play was a put up the place he put the CB in a blender and went up for a contested seize pic.twitter.com/4Eo2B0Uv7P
— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) March 17, 2024
Osborn provides some much-needed athleticism to the huge receiver group
Whereas pure athleticism doesn’t essentially make a very good soccer participant, it may make life simpler for everybody concerned. The Patriots, in fact, haven’t had probably the most athletically spectacular huge receiver room within the league in 2023, and apart from the DeVante Parker launch little has modified.
Osborn himself just isn’t a hyper-athletic marvel, however he gives a superior profile in comparison with most members of the present depth chart. In reality, if we use Kent Lee Platte’s Relative Athletic Rating as a measure, he ranks third among the many workforce’s present wideouts.
A short take a look at new Patriots huge receiver Okay.J. Osborn from the angle of @mathbomb‘s Relative Athletic Rating.
The 8.0 he scored throughout his pre-draft analysis in 2020 ranks third amongst New England’s present wideouts behind Kawaan Baker (9.08) and Tyquan Thornton (8.54). pic.twitter.com/tgVYtz9xYW
— Bernd Buchmasser (@BerndBuchmasser) March 17, 2024
The 8.0 Osborn scored throughout his pre-draft analysis in 2020 trails solely Kawaan Baker (9.08) and Tyquan Thornton (8.54) among the many Patriots’ present wideouts group.
The Patriots purchase a possible chief
Regardless that he’s solely 26 and has comparatively restricted NFL expertise underneath his belt, Osborn drew rave evaluations in Minnesota for his demeanor off the sector and management throughout the workforce’s huge receiver room. With the Patriots having a reasonably younger room themselves, which might see extra gamers added within the draft, he might turn out to be a useful presence.
Osborn initiatives as a vocal and skilled piece of the puzzle — one thing the group lacks outdoors of its elder statesman, Kendrick Bourne (particularly if JuJu Smith-Schuster is certainly let go in some unspecified time in the future within the not-too-distant future).
New England’s wage cap is unlikely to really feel the signing an excessive amount of
Osborn’s one-year contract with the Patriots is price $4 million, in line with Sports activities Illustrated’s Albert Breer. Nevertheless, that quantity by itself doesn’t inform us an entire lot.
It might be the deal’s base worth; it might be its most worth together with incentives. Regardless, the contract signed by the ex-Vikings is unlikely to have too large of an impression on New England’s present cap area: with $51.66 million accessible pre-Osborn signing, in line with Miguel Benzan, the membership will stay in strong form after the construction of the pact turns into clearer.
The compensatory chart might turn out to be much more lopsided
Director of scouting Eliot Wolf is now main the Patriots’ entrance workplace, that means that the workforce will give attention to the draft as its principal technique of expertise acquisition. From that perspective, the membership may need a vested curiosity in maximizing its compensatory picks in a 12 months when no actually large signings have been made.
Nevertheless, with no main departures both, New England finds itself on the minus-side of the calculation chart. In reality, in line with Over the Cap, the Patriots at present have misplaced two fewer compensatory free brokers than they’ve signed. The Osborn addition might additional tip the scales towards “The Patriots aren’t getting any 2025 compensatory picks.”