Is Signing Reggie Wayne a Smart Move for the New England Patriots?

Josh Boyce, Chris Harper, Jonathan Krause and Brandon Gibson.

These are the four New England Patriots wide receivers who have caught the most passes through two preseason games. There's a distinct possibility that none of those four receivers will be on the Patriots' final 53-man roster.

With injuries to Brandon LaFell and Julian Edelman and a lack of playing time for Danny Amendola, the Patriots are running without most of their top receivers.

Edelman has been out since August 2, LaFell is still on the physically unable to perform list, Brian Tyms has had multiple injuries this summer, including a foot injury that could threaten his season, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, and Gibson injured his knee against the New Orleans Saints, again per Reiss.

These are tough times, indeed. 

So, it should come as no surprise that the Patriots have reached an agreement with an accomplished—and available—veteran free agent: Reggie Wayne. The 14-year veteran signed with the Patriots on Monday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN: 

Make no mistake; in a perfect world, Wayne will be a nonfactor in the Patriots' arsenal of weapons at wide receiver. He has the versatility to line up either outside or inside, which makes him a fit for the Patriots offense that doesn't usually distinguish its receivers into specific roles. LaFell, Edelman and Amendola are all asked to move around and line up in various spots.

The Patriots could use Wayne in a similar way, if they wish. According to Pro Football Focus, Wayne was a slot receiver on 354 of the 570 routes he ran in 2014 (62.1 percent); he also had 71 of his 110 targets as a slot receiver (64.5 percent). 

The problem with Wayne is the problem that faces every wide receiver that joins the Patriots after long careers in other systems. The Patriots offense is one of the more complicated systems in the NFL. 

Wayne, however, has some experience in complex offensive systems from his tenure with the Indianapolis Colts. Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck are two very different quarterbacks and were the triggermen for two very different offenses, but who knows how much (if any) overlap exists between what he learned in Indianapolis and what he would be doing in Foxborough.

Year	Games	Rec	Yds	Y/R	TD
2010	16	111	1355	12.2	6
2011	16	75	960	12.8	4
2012	16	106	1355	12.8	5
2013	7	38	503	13.2	2
2014	15	64	779	12.2	2

One thing we do know is that Wayne's 2014 season was his worst season since 2002. The six-time Pro Bowler totaled 64 receptions for 779 yards and two touchdowns, but he did it while dealing with an elbow injury and a torn triceps in the second half of the season. That's not the only injury Wayne has dealt with of late; the former Miami Hurricane had his 2013 season cut short by a torn ACL, and has totaled three surgeries in the past two years.  

Perhaps the recent slew of dents and scratches would explain Wayne's recent dip in production, and the subsequent lack of interest from NFL teams. Wayne drew interest from the Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos in mid-July, according to Dave Furst of WRTV-6 in Indianapolis, but that interest never amounted to anything.

If the Patriots fear that LaFell won't be ready for the regular season, signing Wayne would give them a viable veteran option—albeit one who may not be 100 percent confident in his surroundings or in his knowledge of the offense. Wayne may be a big-name signing, but would probably not tip the scales on the Patriots as a Super Bowl team.