NFL
Coleman And Fowler Sign With The New England Patriots
New England has added depth to their wide receiver chart. The Patriots will be adding two wide receivers to their team. After only having three wide receivers on the depth chart, the New England Patriots have signed Corey Coleman to a one-year contract and are expected to sign Bennie Fowler as well (waiting on confirmation).
Wide Receiver Woes In Foxborough
The Patriots, under owner Robert Kraft and head coach/general manager Bill Belichick, have never been a franchise who overvalued the wide receiver position. If you can catch, they can use you. Last year’s receiving cast included: Danny Amendola, Brandin Cooks, Phillip Dorsett, and Chris Hogan.
WR Julian Edelman missed the entirety of the regular season after tearing his ACL against the Detroit Lions in the preseason. These four receivers provided a combined for 2,374 receiving yards on 172 receptions with 14 touchdowns to boot. The main contributors to these totals? They’re both gone. The Patriots also cut new WRs Riley McCarron and Chad Hansen after poor preseason performances.
The Patriots two returning active receivers, Hogan and Dorsett, gave the Patriots 439 yards on 34 receptions with five touchdowns and 194 yards on 12 receptions respectively. The return of Julian Edelman after his four-game suspension will not be enough to make up for the production loss the Patriots suffered in the departure of Amendola and Cooks.
Rocky Start For The Rookie
Wide receiver Corey Coleman has finally found a home this season. The Cleveland Browns traded the Baylor alum to the Buffalo Bills during training camp. The Bills gave up a 2020 7th-round draft pick to secure the WR.
Just a little while later the Bills cut Coleman under the belief that he was unable to learn their playbook quick enough. The series of unfortunate events for Coleman started long before this offseason but eventually led him to Robert Kraft and the Pats.
Coleman was the 15th overall pick in the 2016 draft, selected by the Browns. He missed six games his rookie year and seven games his sophomore year all due to injury. The games he did play were lackluster for a first-round draft pick.
After playing in 19 regular season contests, Coleman has only caught 56 targets for 718 yards, five of these receptions leading to touchdowns. From the beginning of the preseason to the beginning of the regular season, Coleman has worn three different jerseys. Hopefully, for him and the Patriots, this one will be a good fit.
Undrafted Free Agent Gets Another Chance
After going undrafted in 2014, the Denver Broncos signed Bennie Fowler. He was first on the roster, then on the practice squad, and then back to the roster. After being signed and then cut from the Bear’s practice squad, Fowler got the call from New England.
Unlike Coleman, Fowler’s entry into the NFL was much harder, but their numbers are eerily similar. Fowler played in 46 games, only starting in five, recording five touchdowns off of 56 receptions for 698 yards.
What To Expect From The New Additions
Corey Coleman’s one-year contract has great upside for the Patriots with little risk. The deep threat WR adds a level of dimension to the New England offense forcing the defense to thin out, exactly what quarterback Tom Brady loves. Coleman also has special teams value as a punter and/or kick returner. Due to Coleman’s problems in Buffalo by reportedly not being able to understand the playbook, fans may not see a lot of Coleman at the beginning of the season.
Fowler, on the other hand, due to his special teams experience may see playing time right away. The slot receiver along with Coleman will take over the available reps and responsibilities of primarily McCarron as well as Hansen.
Tom Brady has proven he doesn’t need elite WRs to make completions and move the chains. Belichick has proven he doesn’t need them to win games. While the WR core took a big hit in production, replacing two dominant receivers with practice squad cuts, it’s hard to doubt the success of a game plan that worked so well for New England before.
Fantasy Implications
From a fantasy standpoint, these new additions as of now will not greatly affect Brady of Hogan’s projected performance. Fowler has proven to be a reliable end zone target on other teams and maybe a valuable pick up off of the waiver if one of your current WRs are on a bye or injured.
Coleman’s value is more of a variable. He may not receive many targets but could be good for a long reception once or twice a game. Much is to be seen with these two WRs.
Photo Credit:
Featured Image courtesy of Amy Meredith
