According to Ian Rapoport of the Boston Herald, the Pats will bring in free agent receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh for a workout on Monday. To complete the trifecta, New England will also meet with safeties Darren Sharper and Renaldo Hill, per NFL reporter Adam Caplan (via the SportsXchange).
Of the three players, Houshmandzadeh jumps out as the one that makes the least amount of sense from a practical standpoint — if there’s one position the Patriots are stacked at, it’s definitely wide receiver.
With Deion Branch, Wes Welker, and Chad Ochocinco entrenched as the top three — along with valuable reserves Julian Edelman, Brandon Tate and Taylor Price — there appears to be no room for Housh, who will turn 34 this season and is coming off a terrible stint with the Ravens.
Could Ochocinco have lobbied to the organization to sign Houshmandzadeh, his longtime former teammate with the Bengals? It’s possible. But that doesn’t mean the Pats want or need his services.
Especially when it’d most likely come at the expense of their younger talent, who they’re so high on.
On the other hand, the Patriots have more of a need for Sharper or Hill. A beat writer for the Boston Globe was told that coach Bill Belichick is “desperately” searching for a free safety and could turn to one of the aforementioned two to fill that void.
Sharper, who the Saints chose not to re-sign, was among the best in the NFL as recently as a few seasons ago, but age and injuries have caught up with him since. At 35, he may be entering his twilight years in the league and may never revert back to his previously dominant form.
Hill, entering his tenth season, is three years younger than Sharper, but never came close to him in terms of play; Hill hasn’t been anything more than an above-average contributor for the Broncos defense. In 2010, he had 63 tackles, one forced fumble, and two interceptions, while starting all 16 games in Denver.
Belichick will do what he always does in these situations — kick the tires and leave no stone unturned.
He’s already taken on several veteran and possibly over-the-hill players so far this offseason, but it’d frankly be a mild surprise if any one of these three ended up in New England.
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