The New England Patriots have been looking for their third wide receiver for some time now, and it appears as though they have taken an interest in former Cincinnati Bengal Mohamed Sanu. Sanu had a visit with the Atlanta Falcons earlier in the day and apparently left Flowery Branch without a contract. His next visit will be to New England, and they seem to have a mutual interest in getting a deal done.
Sanu has been the second, sometimes third, wide receiver in the Bengals offense and is clearly looking not only for a bigger contract, but also a bigger role in an offense. The Patriots had a tough time finding any offense when wide receivers Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola, as well as tight end Rob Gronkowski, were injured.
This was clearly concerning because Brandon LaFell was supposed to take advantage of his expanded role in the Patriot's offense and completely fell flat. Sanu would bring a completely new element to the Patriots offense and would allow Tom Brady to have a solid target besides the injury prone Edelman or Amendola.
Sanu does have some connections to several Patriots players, as cornerback Logan Ryan and safety Duron Harmon were in the same recruiting class at Rutgers with the free agent wide receiver. The Patriots were reportedly interested in wide receiver Rishard Matthews, formerly of the Miami Dolphins, but Sanu appears to be their first option during this free agency period.
Marvin Jones was the clear favorite for NFL franchises in terms of free agent wide receivers, as he got a monstrous deal from the Detroit Lions. Sanu may be seeking a more lucrative deal because of Jones' signing. The Patriots will be without a first round pick thanks to the penalties from Deflategate, so picking up a productive free agent receiver now is incredibly important.
If Sanu signs with New England, the franchise can focus on bolstering their offensive line, along with finding a quality running back with their second and third round picks. The Patriots must, at the very least, fill their need at the wide receiver position during free agency because it is unlikely that they will be in the position to grab an immediate starter during the NFL Draft.
