It isn’t the sexiest free agent signing by any stretch of the imagination, but just a day after a pitiful loss to the Dolphins in Miami, the Patriots signed wide receiver Kenny Britt to a reported two-year deal with incentives.
The 6-foot-3-inch tall receiver is the tallest WR on the roster and will bring a physical role to the wide receiving corps that it hasn’t seen yet this season; both Chris Hogan and Brandin Cooks had a tough time getting open downfield against Miami on Monday night.
It does seem a bit telling that less than 24 hours after a forgettable wide receiving performance on the Patriots’ part against the Dolphins (looking at you, Cooks), Belichick went out and swooped up the first WR he saw. There were, what, zero targets at them in the first half and the receivers collectively looked like shit without either Edelman or Gronk to do the dirty work as Brady’s go-to guys. It was a bit concerning to see Cooks play as poorly as he did in a game where they needed him to come through the most.
This signing, though, also infers that Malcolm Mitchell’s status this season has already been written on the wall. The young fan-favorite is as good as done this year with a knee injury, stuck on IR since the start of the season. It will be interesting to see exactly where Britt plays whether he’s limited to one area or not, as Mitchell played primarily a perimeter role last season for the Pats.
With Britt signing a two-year deal here, that means that all him, Edelman, Hogan, Cooks, Mitchell, Dwayne Allen, Jacob Hollister and Gronk are under contract through the year 2018. It’s certainly something to keep an eye on as we enter the new year.
While Britt is a beloved Rutgers alum and coached by Greg Schiano, as we all know how Belichick would go to the end of the earth for his ex-Scarlet Knights, Britt isn’t exactly a saint. His situation both on and off the field is eerily similar to our old pal Michael Floyd’s. Let me give you the rundown. Both Britt and Floyd are former first-round picks and both are wide receivers who have been around the NFL block a time or two. Both are pretty talented when put in the best situations for each of them, although both of them have some rough history off the field. Floyd, as we know, did jail time after being arrested for a DUI, and Britt has a long history with the police; nine separate incidents, in fact, including DUIs and police chases since he entered the league in 2012. Not great.
Both are also in similar situations on the field. When Floyd arrived in Foxboro, he was hyped up and ended up having an incredibly measly role in a stacked receiving corps of eventual Super Bowl winners. Britt is in the same situation, in a way, behind Cooks, Hogan and Amendola on the depth chart with Phillip Dorsett right behind him. Britt could either have a great impact with the Patriots and bring their wide receivers back to life, or he could be yet another veteran WR signing failure in New England. Either way, I assure you I will not be surprised.
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