Demaryius Thomas’ Activation Further Crowds Patriots Receiver Depth Chart

The New England Patriots may be forced to cut or trade one of their talented wide receivers. Julian Edelman was recovering from his thumb injury, and he is activated off of the NFI list. Josh Gordon was conditionally reinstated. Demaryius Thomas was activated off the physically unable to perform list.

At this very moment, the Patriots have Braxton Berrios, Ryan Davis, Phillip Dorsett, Julian Edelman, Josh Gordon (NFI), Maurice Harris, N’Keal Harry, Cameron Meredith (PUP), Jakobi Meyers, Gunner Olszewski, Damoun Patterson and Matthew Slater on their wide receiver list. Pretty packed, right?

If Gordon is removed from the NFI list before the regular season and Meredith stays on PUP, the team will have to make a few difficult decisions and cut some of the players. Of course, we all know that Edelman, Gordon, Harry and Slater won’t go anywhere.

Slater used to be active in wide receiver drills during training camp. Things were a lot different this summer. The Patriots had six receivers on their initial 53-man roster, and Slater was one of them. If Slater is viewed as a wideout, it would take two more players to make the team.

Meyers is considered a favorite. He outplayed N’Keal in the first training camp, and was great in the two preseason games. We saw Meyers running with the Patriots’ first-team offense this summer. He was one of the most successful Patriots undrafted rookies ever.

Thomas is next on the list. He didn’t work much with the team because he started the summer on PUP. He may easily turn into the next Eric Decker, Reggie Wayne or Nate Washington. If Gordon is unable to stay on the field or if Harry has trouble acclimating quickly, Thomas will be given a chance.

Dorsett is a close third. He is familiar with the Patriots offense, and this is his third season with the team. He was unable to go past Chris Hogan last year, and is viewed as a dependable player. Tom Brady completed 76.2 percent of his targets to Dorsett last season. He was great last season as he scored a couple of touchdowns in the playoff run.