Patriots Urged to Pursue Breakout WR in Free Agency

The New England Patriots are being urged to pursue a very intriguing wide receiver in NFL free agency.

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Mason Kinsey (12) and wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (15) leave the field after the game with the Houston Texans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. / Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The New England Patriots will surely be scouring the market for wide receiver options this offseason, as they have probably the worst receiving corps in football.

The Patriots have the most cap space of any team in the NFL, so they should be able to add a couple of weapons for quarterback Drake Maye.

While Tee Higgins will obviously be New England's prime target, there are also some sleeper options it could pursue, and Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox thinks that Tennessee Titans receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine could represent a possibility given that Mike Vrabel coached him for a few years.

"The Patriots need wide receiver help and plenty of it. Vrabel should look to snag Titans receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine when free agency opens on March 12," Knox wrote. "While the 27-year-old was merely a complementary receiver in Tennessee, he was terrific in his role. This past season, he frequently flashed his downfield ability (15.5 yards per catch) and his red-zone prowess (9 TDs)."

Westbrook-Ikhine is hardly a No. 1 option, as he caught 32 passes for 497 yards this past season. Yes, the touchdown total was nice, but really, the Indiana Hoosiers product is nothing more than auxiliary option, as evidenced by the fact that he logged a 53.3 percent catch rate.

But the Pats do need some supplementary pieces, so it wouldn't hurt for them to add Westbrook-Ikhine so land as they add a big fish, as well.

Westbrook-Ikhine went undrafted but landed with the Titans in 2020. He didn't begin earning significant playing time until his second season, when he snared 38 balls for 476 yards and four scores.

The Lake Mary, Fl. native has never posted 500 receiving yards in a single season, but he definitely flashed some impressive ability in 2024.

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