Over the past five years, the New England Patriots have traditionally held five wide receivers on the roster, in addition to special teams captain Matthew Slater. Danny Amendola was the only constant over those five years and the change in the type of wide receiver on the roster reflects how the offense has evolved over the years.
In 2013, the Patriots had two slot receivers in Amendola and Austin Collie; a versatile inside-outside player in Julian Edelman; and two outside receivers in Aaron Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins.