On Thursday, the New England Patriots announced a key roster move: they were officially signing wideout Jalen Reagor to the 53-man roster.
Reagor bounced around a few unsuccessful stints in Philly and Minnesota before landing on the Patriots' practice squad this season. The 2020 first-rounder was projected to be a potentially solid backup to the starting wideouts and has since made the most of his chances.
Reagor has been called up for two games so far in 2023. In Week 7's win against the Bills, he played 25 offensive snaps and recorded his first catch, an 11-yard pass from Mac Jones.
Reagor will replace Malik Cunningham on the active roster.
Bill Belichick makes risky move with wideout Jalen Reagor
Belichick secretly agreed to a contract extension prior to the 2023 season, so his roster decisions won't put him on the hot seat. Still, one has to wonder if Belichick has the team's best interests at heart.
The Patriots stumbled to an ugly start of the season that featured ugly losses to the Cowboys and Saints. Last week's win helped inflate some fans' hope in Foxboro that New England could turn its wayward season around, and it still feels doable with four of the Patriots' next five matchups facing losing teams.
That being said, the Patriots are also a losing franchise whose season depends on Mac Jones and the offense generating a more consistent rhythm. Jones has developed some nice chemistry with wideouts Kendrick Bourne and Demario Douglas, and having Reagor in the mix gives the offense an extra speedy element.
Does Reagor deserve the roster promotion? Sure. But another wideout isn't going to miraculously solve the Pats' offensive woes. We'll see how Belichick plans to incorporate the Philly reject in the coming weeks.
