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Seasons aren't determined during organized team activities (OTAs) and minicamp, but roster spots might be. Following the New England Patriots' busy offseason, they have 12 wide receivers likely competing for no more than six roster spots, making it imperative for Ja'Lynn Polk to play well during the offseason program.
Polk notably struggled as a rookie last season. The 2024 second-round pick recorded just 12 receptions for 87 yards and two touchdowns, recording zero catches in seven of the last nine games he played.
Of course, there was also the dorps. Polk seemed to make a handful of drops in pivotal moments during the early half of the 2024 season, while a potential game-winning touchdown against the Miami Dolphins in Week 5 was negated when his feet failed to land inbounds.
On top of all of that, Polk seemed to be at odds with just about everyone as a rookie. When his talent was questioned, Polk boldly proclaimed that he had the best hands in the NFL. That immediately backfired. When then Patriots' head coach Jerod Mayo held Polk accountable during a postgame press conference, the receiver responded with a cryptic Instagram story that led people to wonder if he actually wanted out of New England.
Polk is still in Foxborough, but he has plenty of competition around him. Stefon Diggs seems to be the unquestionable No. 1 receiver, even if he's rehabbing from an ACL tear and has been involved in off-field drama already. Mack Hollins was also added to the mix and has an obvious connection with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, seemingly giving him a roster spot. New England used a third-round pick on talented Washington State Kyle Williams, who can play on the inside and outside.
In terms of returning receivers, DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte and Kendrick Bourne are all back, with each outproducing Polk last season. Javon Baker, who was drafted in the fourth round last year, als returns and seems to have promise entering Year 2.
Admittedly, that isn't the greatest group of receivers and it should be easy for Polk to outplay them if he lives up to his status as a second-round pick. But that's the thing: Polk's status as a second-round pick shouldn't give him an automatic roster spot if he can't outperform the majority of that group.
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Ja’Lynn Polk going deep at Patriots OTA’s.
–#patriots #newenglandpatriots pic.twitter.com/g5NrVt6Maa— Patriots on CLNS Media (@PatriotsCLNS) May 28, 2025
Now, Polk is rehabbing from offseason shoulder surgery, but he's been seen as a participant at OTAs so far. So, he's healthy enough to practice at this point, and it's time for him to show he's worthy of being kept around.
What Patriots HC Mike Vrabel has said about Ja'Lynn Polk
Mike Vrabel has only spoken about Polk once since he became the Patriots' head coach, but it was a promising quote for the receiver's future. He was asked about what he saw from Polk and Baker as rookies in 2024 during the league meetings in March.
“I didn’t do a whole lot of investigating about what went wrong,” Vrabel told reporters. “I’m trying to focus on what’s going to go right. And so I know that Ja’Lynn is working hard. He’s excited about being a new dad. He’s working hard to rehab that shoulder, focusing on, and again, he said this, not me, but this is something I’ll always say, is he’s focused on what he can do as opposed to what he can’t do.
“So he’s lifted hard. He’s lifting his lower body hard. He wants to get stronger and where he can make gains right now, about strength is in his lower body, because he’s rehabbing his shoulder. So that’s exciting to me.”
