Ja'Lynn

Polk

Polk is currently out for the year after undergoing shoulder surgery. The former second-round pick in 2024 is another in a long line of wide receiver busts with the Patriots. Polk should have an opportunity to crack a Saints wide receiver room that’s currently led by Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed next year.

It’s a brutal development for the second-year wide receiver. Polk was reportedly not a lock to make the Patriots’ roster after being outplayed by his teammates in spring practices. Hopefully, he can resume training individually before long. On 15 preseason snaps, Polk earned zero targets and rushed once for one yard.

Polk appeared to suffer an injury during Friday night’s game against the Commanders. He’s been sidelined with a shoulder injury for most of the offseason, though it’s unknown if this is the same shoulder. It’s certainly possible that the Patriots waive/injured Polk or place him on injured reserve in the coming weeks, as the second-rounder never seemed to make a real push in what has become a stacked New England receiving room.

Monday will mark Polk’s first practice of training camp. The second-year receiver missed the early part of training camp due to muscle tightness, but now he’ll suit up as he looks to battle not only for playing time but perhaps a spot on the 53-man roster. Reiss suggested earlier this offseason that Polk, who was drafted in the second round of last year’s draft, may not be a lock to make the 53-man roster under the Patriots’ new coaching regime, and the addition of Stefon Diggs and Kyle Williams this offseason could make snaps hard to come by.

The Patriots drafted Polk with the No. 37 overall pick in last year’s draft, but Reiss believes the second-year pro already has “considerable ground to make up” after just a week in camp. Reiss also suggested in June that Polk should not be considered a lock to make the Patriots’ 53-man roster. Last season, Polk caught 12-of-33 targets for 87 yards and two scores. Polk is already expected to be down on the depth chart after the Patriots went out and added Stefon Diggs, Mack Hollins, and rookie Kyle Williams this offseason. Any time missed in camp could be bad news for his chances to make the roster.

Polk has been limited through spring practices. Reiss counts Stefon Diggs, Mack Hollins, Pop Douglas and Kyle Williams as locks to make the roster and said Kayshon Boutte, Kendrick Bourne and Efton Chism III comprise the next tier. Reiss thinks Polk would “be deep on the depth chart initially” if he were to make the roster. Polk can still turn things around, but it has been a rough 18 months for him in New England so far and Mike Vrabel didn’t draft him.

Reiss stacks Stefon Diggs, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, and third-round pick Kyle Williams as the top of the projected wideout depth chart. That leaves one or two spots for Polk, fellow second-year player Javon Baker, Kayshon Boutte and Kendrick Bourne. Revamping the wideout room this offseason has left any non-Douglas 2023 Patriots receiver as a risky hold in dynasty leagues.

This is the first we’re hearing of Polk having a surgery, though he did miss time with a shoulder injury at the end of last season. Depending on the timeline, it’s possible he misses some offseason work with the team. We wouldn’t necessarily be concerned about it impacting his training camp yet, but after a failed rookie season, every missed chance to not impress the new coaching staff could potentially be killer for Polk’s rebound prospects. With Stefon Diggs in town, Polk is probably no more than a dart throw in best ball leagues at this point.

The 2024 second-round pick struggled out of the gate and spiraled throughout his rookie season. Billed as an NFL-ready receiver, Polk was anything but prepared for the pros. He consistently dropped passes and ran poor routes while also committing more than his fair share of penalties. The Patriots tried to treat Polk as a starter early in the year but eventually scaled his snaps back as the mistakes piled up. By all accounts, Wolf’s assessment of the situation is correct. A full offseason under a new coaching staff may be what Polk needs to get back on track after the disastrous debut season.

Despite carrying six wideouts on the roster at the end of the season, the Patriots don’t look all that close to having a complete unit, with only DeMario Douglas showing enough to be relied upon as part of the plan in 2025. Graff notes that “whether they go for a small slot receiver or a big outside guy likely hinges on who they land in free agency.” Kayshon Boutte and Ja’Lynn Polk will only have fantasy value next year if they can survive the offseason as likely starters. It feels almost inevitable that multiple receivers will be added to this room this offseason with Mike Vrabel having final say on personnel. Vrabel is not tied to any of the Patriots prospects of the last few drafts.