Currently thin at wide receiver, the New England Patriots are eyeing a veteran wideout to give quarterback Tom Brady another potential target on offense. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Patriots are interested in signing veteran wideout Jordy Nelson, who played with the Oakland Raiders last season after spending most of his career with the Green Bay Packers.

In a tweet, Schefter reported that the Patriots are among several teams interested in acquiring the services of the 33-year-old Nelson. Aside from the Patriots, the Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Seattle Seahawks are also vying for Nelson’s services.

Schefter said Nelson is scheduled to visit the Seahawks on Tuesday (March 19), as general manager John Schneider is a fan of his play. However, the Raiders are also in contention for Nelson’s services as they are also interested in keeping the veteran wideout in their roster despite acquiring star wide receiver Antonio Brown via trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Nelson recently released by Raiders

Last season, Nelson caught 33 passes for 739 yards and three touchdowns in 16 games, but he was released by the Raiders last week. A dominant wide receiver in Green Bay, Nelson suffered a torn ACL in 2015, but bounced back the following season, recording 1,257 yards and 14 touchdowns. However, Nelson’s performance dipped in the last two seasons.

In 2017, Nelson caught 53 passes for 482 yards and six touchdowns in 15 games for the Packers.

With Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback, Nelson tallied three 1,000-yard seasons with the Packers, who drafted him in the second round (No. 26 overall) in the 2008 draft.

Patriots keep Dorsett via one-year deal

The Patriots have targeted several wide receivers from the free-agent pool, but they failed to lure any of them. The Patriots recently kept wide receiver Philip Dorsett, signing him to a one-year contract, while they are still studying whether to keep Chris Hogan.

The Patriots are currently shallow at wide receiver as they only have Julian Edelman, Dorsett, Maurice Harris, Bruce Ellington, Braxton Berrios, and Damoun Patterson in their depth chart. The Patriots recently signed Ellington, who played for the San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets, and the Houston Texans. The Patriots lost wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, who reportedly signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the Chicago Bears.

Last season, the Patriots ranked No. 8 in receiving yards with 266.1 yards per game. Edelman was their top receiver, catching 74 passes for 850 yards and six touchdowns for the Patriots, who defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 13-3, in Super Bowl LIII.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED