Patriots Sign Veteran WR Reggie Wayne
The New England Patriots have added some veteran depth to their wide receiving corp by signing Indianapolis Colts great Reggie Wayne. The 36 year-old will join a lackluster receiving corp, who could still be without their superstar quarterback Tom Brady.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report the deal between the two parties early Monday afternoon.
Reggie Wayne and New England Patriots have reached agreement on a one-year deal, league source told ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 24, 2015
The Patriots were in desperate need of adding some wide receiving help going into the 2015 season. Julian Edelman comes in as the no-doubt leader of the group, while names such as Danny Amendola, Brian Tyms, and Aaron Dobson fill out the rest of the field. Of course, the Patriots have Rob Gronkowski at tight end to handle the majority of the tough yards. UDFA Chris Harper out of Cal and Zach D’Orazio from Akron also currently hold roster spots, but are more likely to be either cut or placed on the practice squad when the team is forced to trim down its roster.
The move became more understandable with the news of Brandon Gibson’s torn ACL. The team placed him on IR Monday afternoon with the knee injury.
As for Wayne, the 36 year-old had played all 14 of his NFL seasons with the Colts, playing in all 16 games all but three years. Wayne tore his ACL in 2013, but returned and made a great impact with quarterback Andrew Luck. In 2014, Wayne caught 64 balls for nearly 800 yards and two touchdowns.
This signing by the Patriots and Wayne only adds to the growing Colts/Patriots rivalry that has developed deeper since the drafting of Andrew Luck. The two will meet in week six in Indianapolis, which will surely be a special homecoming for the veteran Wayne.
Wayne sits in a close second on the Colts all-time receiving yards, receptions, and touchdowns list, all behind Marvin Harrison. The six-time Pro Bowler helped the Colts win Super Bowl XLI back in 2007.