The Patriots essentially have 5 wide receivers competing for 2 or maybe 3 spots behind Wes Welker, Brandon Lloyd, Jabar Gaffney. Those 5 receivers are Deion Branch, Donte Stallworth, Julian Edelman, Matt Slater, and Jeremy Ebert. Both Edelman and Slater have returned kicks in the NFL in the last couples seasons and Ebert, their 7th round pick rookie, was a return man in college. Even Deion Branch, who hasn’t returned a punt since 2004, had been getting some reps as a punt returner in OTAs as the Patriots try to cover all of their bases when evaluating the 5 receivers.
Donte Stallworth is now being given some reps returning kicks in OTAs, even though he hasn’t done that in a game since the 2003 season. It’s unclear if Stallworth will show anything that will help him stay on the roster, but it’s a good sign that he’s been given reps there. The Patriots didn’t give Chad Ochocinco and Anthony Gonzalez reps there and then cut them outright. The fact that the Patriots are giving Stallworth the chance to show them everything he can possibly do is a sign that he won’t have the same fate. Even if he doesn’t end up making the roster, it looks like he’ll be in this until the final cuts.
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If Lloyd and Gaffney could absolutely guarantee their health, then Stallworth would be unnecessary. However, no such guarantee exists therefore Stallworth provides the necessary depth and could add a rotational element as well. The Pats would be foolish to dispense with Stallworth’s services. They could end up short handed at the wideout position as they were shorthanded at the TE position last year.
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