Fantasy Football: Would Chad Ochocinco Make Sense for the New England Patriots?

Ryan LesterJun 7, 2018

There is some speculation that Chad Ochocinco could land with the New England Patriots when the lockout comes to a close. The Patriots have had success taking talented players with less than perfect pasts. Does he make sense for New England though?

At 33, he is no longer the threat he once was. Ocho has just one 1,000-yard season in the past three years, and at 1,047 yards it was well off the 1,374 he averaged from 2003-2007. Forty-three of his 66 career touchdowns came during that stretch, an average of 8.6 TDs per season. Over the past three years, he averaged 806 yards and 5.7 touchdowns. He averaged 92.4 receptions from 03-07 and just 64 over the past three years.

Everything depends on Ochocinco’s mental state. If he commits himself to the game, like he did in 2009, he can put up solid numbers once again. He would have to limit some of the sideshow activities and focus on football.

The thing the Patriots have going for them is they are not afraid to step on toes. Randy Moss was abruptly shown the door when he started to create tension in New England’s locker room. When a player's worth on the field no longer justifies their paycheck, the Patriots aren’t afraid to move on. With a strong-minded coach and quarterback, the Patriots simply wouldn’t put up with Ocho’s ways.

Most of the drama usually occurs when his team isn’t winning. When things were going good in Cincinnati, Ocho’s antics were cute and funny. When they were losing, it was considered a distraction. If the Patriots were to continue their success, which is a strong possibility, then it should be less of an issue for Ochocinco to walk the line.

While he would’t replace Randy Moss as a deep threat, Ocho would help. Deion Branch did an admirable job for the Patriots following his trade from Seattle, but he would likely have a hard time holding off Ocho for snaps.

Ocho’s days of being a WR1 are long over. Mostly he would be a WR3 that could potentially produce like a WR2. We’ll just have to stay tuned to see where he lands.