The New England Patriots will be looking for one or more players to step up in the early portion of the regular season with Julian Edelman suspended four games, but it does not sound like Eric Decker will have a chance to fill that role.
In his latest projection of the Patriots’ 53-man roster, Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston predicted that Bill Belichick will keep Edelman, Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, Cordarrelle Patterson and special teams captain Matthew Slater at wide receiver. While Perry concedes that carrying another receiver might make sense for New England, he doesn’t feel that Decker or any of the other names he left off have stood out enough.
At one point, it seemed like the Patriots could have their deepest bunch of wide receivers in years heading into 2018. However, injuries and underperformance have put a big dent in that. They have already parted ways with Kenny Britt and one other well-known veteran, and Decker could very well be one of the next to go.
