5 Wide Receivers Patriots Could Target in Free Agency

It's not the strongest list, but it's nevertheless a list.

When free agency opens up the Patriots need to address one side of the ball: offense. More specifically the need to find a way to acquire some pass-catchers. If they can do that, their team will improve in 2020 and it may help convince Tom Brady that coming back to New England is the best option for him this offseason. 

While the No. 1 priority for the Patriots is to acquire a tight end, 1B for them is to get a wideout. In the event that New England can't win the bid for someone like Austin Hooper, they need to give Brady another new option to throw to next season. Seeing that there aren't a whole lot of great options at tight end in free agency, the Patriots could sign a cheap receiver with potential upside if they don't decide to trade for one instead. Doing that will leave them with plenty of money to fill other positions on the roster.

While this year's free-agent market for wide receivers is very thin, there are some under-the-radar options for New England that could have a rebirth once they begin wearing red-white, and blue. There's also one option at receiver that has been a match made in heaven for several years now, and it looks like a marriage could finally happen in 2020. 

Let's take a look at five wide receivers the Patriots could target during free agency:

*NOTE* Because there has been strong reporting about Amari Cooper, A.J. Green, and Robby Anderson being tagged or re-signing with the Cowboys, Bengals, and Jets, respectively, they were not considered for this list.

5) Laquon Treadwell

© Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

As a former first-round pick for the Vikings, Laquon Treadwell hasn't proven to be a first-round talent at the NFL level. Since being drafted in 2016, Treadwell has just 65 receptions for 701 yards and two touchdowns. He had just nine catches for 184 yards and one receiving score in 2019. Now, the Ole Miss product hits the free-agent market for the first time in his career and will likely not draw many suitors. 

However, there will be at least a couple teams in the league that may try to sign him with the hopes that they can turn him into the star he was projected to be coming out of college. The Patriots could be one of those teams. 

At just 24 years old, there's plenty of time for Treadwell to have a rebirth in the league. His ball-skills and knack for being an underneath, possession receiver could be utilized by a Patriots team that is desperate for a chain-mover in their passing attack outside of Julian Edelman. Though he has yet to show he can do that in the NFL despite doing it at Ole Miss, a change of scenery and a receiver-friendly scheme could do the trick for Treadwell. He would be a great, low-risk, high-reward option for New England. 

4) Nelson Agholor

© Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Nelson Agholor is another former first round pick that didn't amount to anything with the team that drafted him. Though unlike Treadwell, Agholor has had quite a few flashes of excellence since entering the league in 2015, 2019 was one of his worst seasons to-date. Because of that, the Eagles will let him walk in free agency as they look to revamp their receiving corps. 

As a player with quick burst, 4.4 speed and good hands, a bounce back year for Agholor elsewhere in the league is very likely. And because of his lack of production in 2019, a team during free agency, like New England, could get him at a very modest price. 

The Patriots need a burner on their offense who is capable of getting separation downfield and making big plays in open space. Agholor fits that bill. The former USC Trojan could be a complementary piece to their offense, and if they can get out of him what Philadelphia did in 2017 when Agholor had 62 receptions, 768 yards and eight touchdowns, it would be a massive boost to New England's passing game. 

3) Tajae Sharpe

© Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

Former 5th round draft choice Tajae Sharpe seems like the standard receiver the Patriots would make a move for in free agency. At 25 years old, it took three seasons for Sharpe to eclipse 1,000 career receiving yards in Tennessee. He is definitely not the most attractive free agent amongst the available receivers, but his numbers don't exactly tell how effective he can be as a receiver. 

PFF had Sharpe graded as their 45th best receiver in the NFL in 2019 with a 72.2 receiving grade. To put that into perspective: right in front of Sharpe in receiving grades were Marquise "Hollywood" Brown (72.8) and Jamison Crowder (72.4) and right below him were Sammy Watkins (71.6) and Danny Amendola (71.5). Granted, Sharpe's sample size in 2019 was smaller than all of those players in 2019 (25 catches, 329 yards, four touchdowns) but his PFF grade was nevertheless a reflection of his above-average play last season. 

Sharpe could be a great, cheap receiver the Patriots could acquire and make use of in 2020. 

2) Breshad Perriman

© Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

The third and final former first round draft pick on this list is Breshad Perriman. As a player that was seemingly labeled as a bust in 2017 after being riddled with injuries in Baltimore, Perriman's stock went up in Cleveland in 2018 and then skyrocketed last year with the Buccaneers. 

Perriman's 72.8 PFF grade in 2019 has him tied with Marquise "Hollywood" Brown in their WR rankings and just behind Marvin Jones Sr. (72.9). In 14 games with Tampa Bay last season, Perriman had 36 catches for 645 yards and six touchdowns. It's worth noting that most of his production came over the last five games of the regular season, when he caught 25 balls for 506 yards and five receiving scores. 

At 26 years old, Perriman is a player that could potentially have a long, successful stint in New England. And because he has yet to breakout in the NFL, the Patriots could get him at a low cost. Perriman is a major low-risk, high reward candidate for the six-time Super Bowl champions. His ability to be physical and get open downfield would be a perfect compliment to what what the Patriots already have in their receiver room. 

1) Emmanuel Sanders

© Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Emmanuel Sanders becoming a Patriot is something we've speculated for a long time now. But 2020 looks like the time in which it can finally become a reality. 

At age-32, Sanders is seemingly looking to book his final destination of his career this offseason. So who better to choose from then a team he openly admitted during Super Bowl week he could have had a Hall of Fame career with? That's why New England makes all the sense in the world for him. 

As an incredible route-runner that is as consistent as they come in the NFL, Sanders makes all the sense in the world from New England's perspective. The key in this situation is getting him for the right price tag. Chances are the Patriots won't be the only team in the market for his services, which could create a bidding war for the former Bronco. 

If they can get him at a modest price, which would likely happen by Bill Belichick flashing his rings (not literally, but you get the point) and by knowing Tom Brady is staying with the Patriots, then a Brady-Sanders connection may be the hottest connection we see at Gillette Stadium next season. Sanders is the most talented receiver on the market who doesn't seem to have a home just yet, and New England should pounce on this opportunity as fast as they can.