The New England Patriots have brought in free agent Reggie Wayne for a physical and he could be a depth option behind Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, Brandon Gibson, Aaron Dobson and Josh Boyce and this comes as Jimmy Garoppolo is working to improve heading into the season, as he is set to start for Tom Brady in Week 1 if his suspension holds.
Wayne has been on the free agent market all offseason and it came after the Colts did not want to re-sign the aging veteran to another contract. According to ESPN reporter Adam Schefter, the Patriots have brought in Wayne for a physical and there is a chance the team signs him to a free agent deal heading into the season. Wayne had multiple surgeries this offseason for injuries to his knee and triceps, but if he checks out okay, he could be a nice depth option for the Pats.
--UPDATE: Reggie Wayne has signed with the Pats.
Wayne comes in after playing over a decade with the Colts and he has had his fair share of strong performances in front of Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. Pro Football Talk points out that Belichick previously said that Wayne is "still a very dangerous receiver" when the teams played last season and now he could get a real look for the Pats. The Packers and the Carolina Panthers both could be landing spots for Wayne after those teams lost Jordy Nelson and Kelvin Benjamin to injuries, while Wes Welker also remains on the market.
The Patriots are looking for Jimmy Garoppolo to keep improving this preseason, as he is expected to start for Tom Brady when the QB is suspended. According to Pro Football Talk, Garoppolo looked much better in Week 2 of the preseason, completing 28-of-33 passes in the game for 269 yards and one touchdown against the Saints. Garoppolo needs as much experience as he can get, as the Pats may be without Brady for the first four games depending on how settlement talks go.
Wayne is obviously not the player he once was, but he still was fairly productive for the Colts last season. Wayne played in 15 games and had 64 catches for 779 yards and two touchdowns and that came after he missed significant time with an ACL injury, Wayne's first major injury in his career. Wayne has had some interest from teams this offseason, including reports about the Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens and Green Bay Packers, according to NFL.com.
Julian Edelman is the number one receiver now after putting up big numbers in the last two seasons, but the Pats want more depth behind Amendola and LaFell. Amendola had a down season with just 27 catches last year for 200 yards and he needs to do more, while LaFell had a good year with 74 catches and seven touchdowns in 16 games played. The team also has Boyce and Dobson as younger options, but adding Wayne would give some major experience on the depth chart.
