The New England Patriots have a lot of questions to answer heading into the 2015 season and not all of them revolve around Tom Brady. The team is looking to defend their Super Bowl title, but is missing several pieces from the championship team while injuries are hitting hard at the wrong time. With Jimmy Garoppolo needing all of the help he can get, the Patriots are making a run at wide receivers on the free agent market to beef up the offense moving forward.
With Brandon LaFell on the PUP list and Brandon Gibson's season over due to injury, the depth of the Patriots' wide receiver group is dwindling. To make matters worse, leading receiver Julian Edelman is dealing with a lower leg injury that is putting his Week 1 status in doubt. According to Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com, the Patriots have traded for Jalen Saunders, acquired DaVaris Daniels and released Josh Boyce in a flurry of moves to start the week. For now, the rotation is Danny Amendola, Reggie Wayne and Aaron Dobson as the healthy players while LaFell and Edelman work their way back. That is not enough for Garoppolo.
The Patriots are lacking in experienced wide receivers which is what Garoppolo needs to be successful. Will that force the Patriots to make more signings and target experienced receivers instead? According to PatsPulpit.com, there is a case to bring back Kenbrell Thompkins or sign Denarius Moore off the free agent market. Thompkins spent 2013 with the Patriots and built up a nice chemistry with Tom Brady. He showed some value at the outside spot, while struggling with consistency. He is an upgrade over players like Daniels of even Saunders right now simply because he knows the playbook and knows the scheme in New England. If injuries continue to be an issue, Thompkins is the best option.
One are the Patriots are really thriving in is the run game and not because of LeGarrette Blount. The Patriots have discovered the success of their depth in players like James White and Jonas Gray who are proving they are not one-hit wonders for the team. Garoppolo should be able to rely heavily on the ground game in 2015 to at least help ease the transition into being a starter without Brady.