Fansided

3 surprise cuts the Patriots can make this offseason

By Russell S. Baxter

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - JANUARY 09: Head Coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots in action against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on January 09, 2022 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - JANUARY 09: Head Coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots in action against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on January 09, 2022 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 3
Next
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 06: Nelson Agholor #15 of the New England Patriots carries the ball during the first quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on December 06, 2021 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 06: Nelson Agholor #15 of the New England Patriots carries the ball during the first quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on December 06, 2021 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images) /

1. WR Nelson Agholor

This past offseason, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots spent a lot of money to fix a roster that wound up finishing 7-9. It was the franchise’s first losing season since 2000 and the first time the club failed to qualify for the playoffs since 2008.

Among the offseason additions were tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith and wide receivers Kendrick Bourne and speedster Nelson Agholor. The New England passing game, which gained the third-fewest yards in the NFL in 2020, improved to 14th in the league. Rookie quarterback Mac Jones played a big part of that improvement.

Henry finished third on the team with 50 catches and led the team with nine TD grabs. Bourne was the Pats’ second-leading pass-catcher with 55 receptions – five for scores. Smith was limited by injuries but averaged 10.4 yards per catch via his 28 receptions.

More fansided.com: Each NFL team’s all-time greatest moment

Agholor, who signed a two-year, $22 million contact with the Patriots last March (via Spotrac), played in 15 games and caught an underwhelming 37 passes for 473 yards and three touchdowns. He also had one catch for 18 yards in the team’s 47-17 playoff loss at Buffalo. Not a lot of bang for the buck.

Home/New England Patriots