Former teammate believes recently-acquired New England Patriots receiver is in for a 'huge year'

Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Heading into the offseason, a strong case could be made for the New England Patriots’ biggest weakness being at wide receiver. With Mac Jones shipped off and Jacoby Brissett signed to replace the former first-round pick, it’s hard to suggest the Patriots’ biggest need is anything other than a quarterback.

While Brissett may be able to hold down the starting gig for a season, the Patriots’ future franchise QB isn’t on the roster unless you’re a big believer in Bailey Zappe. The same argument could be made for the team’s lack of a clear No. 1 wideout despite the presence of JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kendrick Bourne, Tyquan Thornton, and DeMario Douglas.

Yet, there’s another receiver the Patriots added to their depth chart this offseason, signing former Minnesota Vikings wideout K.J. Osborn to a one-year, $4 million contract. Osborn hasn’t done anything to suggest he can become a team’s top pass-catching option, but he has been quite productive since becoming a fifth-round pick in 2020.

K.J. Osborn’s stats: 50 receptions, 655 yards, 7 TD (2021)
2022: 60 receptions, 650 yards, 5 TD
2023: 48 receptions, 540 yards, 3 TD

While the two may not be teammates anymore, Osborn’s former QB Kirk Cousins recently went to bat for the newest Patriots receiver. Cousins believes Osborn never really received a fair shake during his time in Minnesota, where he was overshadowed by the likes of Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, and Jordan Addison.

“K.J. Osborn is a receiver who was with us in Minnesota who was kind of in the shadow of Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen. And I always felt like K.J. was better than the opportunities he got. He went to free agency and went to New England, and I’d love to see him have a huge year in New England kind of with a bigger role than what he had in Minnesota to show what he could do.”
Kirk Cousins on K.J. Osborn’s potential

Osborn was never the first option in Minnesota, and he was rarely the second option either. Yet, once he proved what he could do in his second NFL season, the Vikings had a hard time keeping him off the field.

Always relegated to third or even fourth receiver duties when the team was at full strength, now Osborn has a chance to show New England what he’s capable of, and we’ve already seen his floor is pretty high. Now we’ll see if there’s any untapped potential lurking inside the 26-year-old, but he has plenty of supporters.