Patriots sign WR Demaryius Thomas to 1-year deal

FOXBORO – In a search for some much-needed wide receiver depth, the Patriots turned to a five-time Pro Bowler.

The Patriots signed Demaryius Thomas on Tuesday, the team announced. According to the NFL Network, it’s a one-year deal worth up to $6 million. The two sides came together after the 31-year-old visited Gillette Stadium last week. Thomas comes to the Patriots after splitting last season with the Denver Broncos and Houston Texans.

This move should be a [...]

FOXBORO – In a search for some much-needed wide receiver depth, the Patriots turned to a five-time Pro Bowler.

The Patriots signed Demaryius Thomas on Tuesday, the team announced. According to the NFL Network, it’s a one-year deal worth up to $6 million. The two sides came together after the 31-year-old visited Gillette Stadium last week. Thomas comes to the Patriots after splitting last season with the Denver Broncos and Houston Texans.

This move should be a considered a low-risk, high reward signing.

In his prime, Thomas was one of the best receivers in the NFL. The 6-foot-3 receiver earned five consecutive Pro Bowls from 2012-2016. In that span, Thomas finished with over 90 receptions and 1,000 yards every season. He also earned two second-team All-Pro bids. In 2014, Thomas set a career-high with 111 catches for 1,619 yards.

Thomas, however, suffered a torn Achilles last season on Dec. 23 and was placed on the injured reserve the next day. His recovery timetable is currently unknown, but it would be surprising if the receiver was ready for the start of the season. If anything, Thomas’ return would give the Patriots offense a boost.

Prior to the injury, the Patriots showed interest in Thomas during the NFL’s trade deadline. In eight games with Denver, Thomas caught 36 passes for 402 yards and three touchdowns. The Broncos ended up trading him to Houston, where he caught seven passes for 99 yards and two touchdowns in three games.

This move reunited Thomas with Josh McDaniels. The Patriots current offensive coordinator, McDaniels was the head coach of the Broncos when Denver drafted Thomas in the first round in 2010.

Considering his size, Thomas will give Tom Brady a decent red-zone threat. With Rob Gronkowski retired, the Patriots are in desperate need of some offensive help. Both the tight end and receiver positions have looked a little paltry entering the spring. Thomas now joins Julian Edelman, Phillip Dorsett, Bruce Ellington, Maurice Harris, Braxton Berrios and Damoun Patterson on the receiver depth chart.  At this point, Edelman, Dorsett and Thomas should be considered the only roster locks.

Signing Thomas also gives the Patriots insurance for Josh Gordon. Gordon is currently suspended indefinitely and still hasn’t signed his restricted free-agent tender. It’s still unknown if or even when Gordon will be reinstated for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. If Gordon doesn’t return, the Patriots have another outside receiver in Thomas to try to fill the void.

The best-case scenario here is that Gordon is able to return to the field and play with Thomas. That would give the Patriots two deep threats for Brady to go along with Edelman. It wouldn’t be a bad way to try to build the offense after Gronk’s retirement.

Still, there’s a lot of uncertainty with all of this. An Achilles injury can be hard to come back from. Thomas will also turn 32-years-old this season.

The Patriots also have next week’s draft to look at the receiver position. The Patriots have been tied to several top-tier receiving prospects. There’s still room on the roster to add one and maybe two promising newcomers.

If anything, the addition of Thomas means the Patriots receiving depth chart is better today than it was yesterday. That’s a step in the right direction.