I’m becoming more and more convinced that the NFL gods are rigging this season against the Patriots. Promising Patriots wide receiver, Tyquan Thornton, went down in the last preseason game with a collarbone injury that will keep him out for 8-weeks.
Can the Patriots’ luck get any worse? Just when I thought there was a new, promising, young wide receiver ready to take up the mantle left by Julian Edelman and lead this Patriots offense to a potential playoff berth, he injures his collarbone in a meaningless preseason game. Just typical.
Thankfully, the injury isn’t too bad as it is only supposed to keep Thornton out 8-weeks, which is a small measure of comfort in this disheartened Pats fan. Nevertheless, losing the 2022 2nd-round pick is a massive blow to the Pats offense.
Currently, only Nelson Agholor, Devante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, and Jacobi Meyers are the viable receiving options for Mac Jones in his crucial sophomore season in the NFL. Bourne and Meyers proved last season that they were capable “#2s” on a contending NFL roster, while Parker was Miami’s “#1” option for a long time before injuries and the emergence of Jaylen Waddle saw his play time reduced.
Mac Jones should be able to get by with these three for a while, mainly because Hunter Henry is a capable pass catcher from the TE spot and Damien Harris was breakout star for New England from the backfield.
But how does Bill Belichick expect Mac Jones to progress and develop into an elite quarterback if he’s only been given injury prone and “#2” wide outs?
Mac Jones is not an “early-career Tom Brady”, despite how much Bill Belichick wants to treat him like it. He has more skill but less vision of the football field than Brady did when the legend first broke into the league.
Therefore, Belichick should be doing his best to get a bonified Top-10/15 wide receiver for Mac Jones to build a connection with and help develop the quarterback’s passing skills and techniques. I hate to say it but Bourne, Meyers, and Parker just aren’t of that quality.
Is Odell Beckham Jr. still available? Just asking for a desperate friend.
Anyways, Thornton may have been able to develop into a Top-10/15, as he is very young, but now that his is injured, it will be difficult for him to develop any chemistry with Jones this season. I really hope Belichick knows what he’s doing with this unorthodox 2022/23 Patriots offense or else the Pats are in massive trouble.
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