Howe: Michael Floyd Not Ready Now, But Could Re-Sign With Patriots In Offseason
BOSTON (CBS) -- Receiver Michael Floyd was a surprising and somewhat controversial addition for the Patriots, who have a need for depth at the position. But Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald believes Floyd could be a candidate to stick around in New England after this season.
Howe joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich to talk about the Patriots after their big win over the Broncos in Denver. Floyd made the trip to Denver, but was inactive for the game. Howe doesn't believe it's fair to expect any kind of consistent, meaningful production from Floyd in 2016.
"Could he dress, yes. Could he contribute by a fluky nature, yes. But is he going to be ready [to produce consistently]? No," said Howe. "That's just taking away too much credit from guys like Chris Hogan and Malcolm Mitchell - and the guys who come back every year, Amendola and Edelman - and the amount of work it takes for them to get on the same page with Brady every offseason and every training camp and every regular season game with that experience that counts. You just can't discount how much work it really takes to sync up with Tom Brady for points like this where it really counts.
"It's just unrealistic to expect [too much]. ... [Floyd's] not going to be ready to contribute consistently at any point this season unless it's out of an absolute need."
Despite Floyd not likely seeing many targets this season, Howe is making a "strong assumption" that Floyd was going to be a free-agent target for the Patriots next offseason anyway. He believes the team is taking a long look at Floyd to see if he's a player they want to re-sign for a one-year "prove it" deal, which is likely the only contract he could get after his legal trouble this season.
As for the defensive side of the ball, the Patriots have looked strong against opposing offenses for the past three games. Are they better now without Jamie Collins than they were before the linebacker was traded during the team's bye week?
"Let's say [Collins] wasn't doing everything behind the scenes that they wanted him to do. But if he was doing that and playing to his potential, they'd be a better defense right now than they were before they traded him," said Howe. "It's one of those things that I still don't have enough answers to know why they traded him, but the bottom line is if Jamie Collins was playing to his potential, he'd be better suited on this team."
Howe also talked about possible inner turmoil with the Denver Broncos, the best potential playoff competition for the Patriots, and whether he's ever seen Bill Belichick "break character." Listen to the full podcast below: