Ever since Randy Moss was traded away by the New England Patriots during the early portions of the 2010 season, the team was lacking a wide receiver to challenge the deep portions of the field on a regular basis. Chad Ochocinco failed to bring this element to the team, while neither Brandon Lloyd nor Brandon LaFell had the consistency to do it each game or even from one play to the next.
While Chris Hogan and Brandin Cooks fared well as deep threat receivers in 2016 and 2017, respectively, they did not appear to be suited for this prominent a role in the Patriots’ offensive system.