Mohamed Sanu had a disappointing season with the New England Patriots last year after they acquired him in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons, and it seems like the wide receiver is doing everything he can to avoid that from happening again in 2020.
According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, Sanu has hired a coach to live with him at his home this offseason full-time. The coach, Drew Lieberman, is a Wesleyan alum who spent time working with the Rutgers football program. Sanu played his college ball at Rutgers, while Wesleyan is Patriots head coach Bill Belichick’s alma mater.
Sanu suffered an ankle injury last year and underwent offseason surgery. He is said to be fully recovered and has wasted no time beginning workouts with Cam Newton, who could be the Patriots’ starting quarterback in Week 1.
Mohamed Sanu and Cam Newton getting together for a workout in LA today. @Patriots #Patriots @nflnetwork @AroundTheNFL pic.twitter.com/w6gwt5ovps
— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) July 1, 2020
We’ve also seen footage of Newton working out with other Patriots receivers, and the team’s receiving corps should have an opportunity to take opponents by surprise this season. Belichick gave up a second-round pick for Sanu, so he obviously thinks very highly of the 30-year-old.
Sanu finished the 2019 season with 59 catches for 520 yards and two touchdowns in his time between the Falcons and Patriots. He averaged a career-low 8.0 yards per reception, and he’ll be looking to get back to somewhere closer to his career average of 11.2. If both he and Newton are healthy, they could establish a strong connection early on in 2020.
