What signing K.J. Osborn in free agency means for the Patriots

New England added the wide receiver on a one-year contract.

The New England Patriots’ free agency is far from over. After not signing a single player between Thursday and Saturday, the team jumped back into the market on Sunday to add former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver K.J. Osborn on a one-year contract.

A former fifth-round draft pick, Osborn has some solid production on his career résumé. What will he bring to New England, though? Let’s dissect the signing from a big-picture perspective to find out.

More wide receiver depth…

With Osborn joining the Patriots, they now have nine wide receivers under contract for the 2024 season. Recently re-signed Kendrick Bourne and sophomore DeMario Douglas sit atop the projected depth chart, with Osborn, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton, Jalen Reagor, Kayshon Boutte, T.J. Luther, and Kawaan Baker also part of the mix.

At least officially, DeVante Parker is as well. But while his previously-reported release has not yet been processed, meaning he remains on the active roster as of now, the belief is that the move will hit the transaction wire soon.

…and positionally versatility

Osborn has shown he can line up all over the formation, playing the X-, Z-, and slot receiver roles during his time in Minnesota. In New England, he might help improve the depth on the perimeter: with DeVante Parker out the door, the best options to fill the X spot at the moment appear to be Osborn, Jalen Reagor, Tyquan Thornton and, to a lesser degree, T.J. Luther.

Ideally, however, Osborn would play more of a Z role in the mold of Kendrick Bourne. With the recently re-signed Bourne recovering from a torn ACL suffered last October, having seasoned depth and proven production behind him could become important.

Osborn adds some much-needed athleticism to the wide receiver group

While pure athleticism does not necessarily make a good football player, it can make life easier for everyone involved. The Patriots, of course, have not had the most athletically impressive wide receiver room in the league in 2023, and with the exception of the DeVante Parker release little has changed.

Osborn himself is not a hyper-athletic marvel, but he offers a superior profile compared to most members of the current depth chart. In fact, if we use Kent Lee Platte’s Relative Athletic Score as a measure, he ranks third among the team’s current wideouts.

The 8.0 Osborn scored during his pre-draft evaluation in 2020 trails only Kawaan Baker (9.08) and Tyquan Thornton (8.54) among the Patriots’ current wideouts group.

The Patriots acquire a potential leader

Even though he is only 26 and has comparatively limited NFL experience under his belt, Osborn drew rave reviews in Minnesota for his demeanor off the field and leadership within the team’s wide receiver room. With the Patriots having a rather young room themselves, which could see additional players added in the draft, he could become a valuable presence.

Osborn projects as a vocal and experienced piece of the puzzle — something the group lacks outside of its elder statesman, Kendrick Bourne (especially if JuJu Smith-Schuster is indeed let go at some point in the not-too-distant future).

New England’s salary cap is unlikely to feel the signing too much

Osborn’s one-year contract with the Patriots is worth $4 million, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. However, that number by itself does not tell us a whole lot.

It could be the deal’s base value; it could be its maximum value including incentives. Regardless, the contract signed by the ex-Vikings is unlikely to have too big of an impact on New England’s current cap space: with $51.66 million available pre-Osborn signing, according to Miguel Benzan, the club will remain in solid shape after the structure of the pact becomes clearer.

The compensatory chart could become even more lopsided

Director of scouting Eliot Wolf is now leading the Patriots’ front office, meaning that the team will focus on the draft as its main means of talent acquisition. From that perspective, the club might have a vested interest in maximizing its compensatory selections in a year when no really big signings have been made.

However, with no major departures either, New England finds itself on the minus-side of the calculation chart. In fact, according to Over the Cap, the Patriots currently have lost two fewer compensatory free agents than they have signed. The Osborn addition could further tip the scales toward “The Patriots are not getting any 2025 compensatory picks.”