Patriots Coach Candidly Addresses WR Roster Status
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — As the New England Patriots entered their preseason finale against the New York Giants on Thursday night, second-year receiver Javon Baker had one more chance to catch the eye of the Pats’ “powers that be” in hopes of earning a roster spot.
The Patriots fourth-round (110 overall) pick in last year's draft had been making a late camp push — showing promise as both as receiver and a special teamer. The only question remaining was whether or not he had done enough throuhgout the past month to make the initial “53.”
Fortunately for Baker, head coach Mike Vrabel and the Pats’ brain trust will consider Baker’s entire body of work before rendering a decision on his future with the club.
“I think you look at the entire body of work,” Vrabel told reporters on Friday at Gillette Stadium. “You try to evaluate everything … In Javon’s case, he's a wide receiver, but I think the more that he does on special teams, the better that he's gotten. From there, he'll understand how he can use his play strength, his speed, some of the receiving tools and fundamentals as a gunner, potentially.”
Despite showing flashes of the explosive playmaking ability which made him a standout at the University of Central Florida, Baker’s production as a receiver cooled a bit in the waning days of prseason. He was targeted twice during the Pats’ 42-10 loss to the New York Giants on Thursday night, but dropped both passes from now former Patriots’ quarterback Ben Wooldridge.
Still, Baker was able to bounce back with a solid special teams block early in the second quarter — forcing a Giants’ jammer into running back Dante Miller, who was attempting to return a punt. The block led to a New York fumble, showcasing Baker’s prowess in the game’s third phase.
Given his success in harnessing his speed and field awareness on both offense and special teams, has Baker finally found his niche?
To his credit, Vrabel was seemingly unwilling to confirm or deny the nature of his receiver’s progress.
”We tried to get him some reps on the corner yesterday on a punt return,” Vrabel said. “He's played on the kickoff for us. And you know, those are new, especially for a young player who's played receiver most of his life. So, I think that the more that he's done it, the more comfor table that he's gotten and we’ll continue to evaluate him.”
In the final analysis, Baker needs New England’s decision makers to believe in the same game-breaking prowess as a playmaker which made him notable post-draft buzz last season. The 6’1” 202-pound receiver was coming off a stellar season at the University of Central Florida, which saw him compile 52 receptions, seven of which went for touchdowns. He also led the Big 12 in receiving yards with 1,139 and yards-per-catch with 21.9, en route to being named to the Conference’s First-Team. Should Baker have been successful in his efforts, he may gain the inside track on besting his competition.
While the 23-year-old has yet to lock in his spot within a crowded receivers depth chart, Baker possesses both the versatility and explosive skill to become a significant contributor to a NFL offense.
Whether his future includes catching passes, or making third-phase blocks, in Foxborough is still a matter of conjecture. At the latest, it will be determined by 4:00pm on the league’s mandated Aug. 26 deadline for reducing rosters to the required 53 players.
