FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots are in the fourth week of their voluntary offseason program, and veteran wide receiver Nelson Agholor already notices a difference for himself.
“Everybody runs certain routes, but the route tree [here] is a little different than what I’ve ran before,” he said. “Now I know it, so I get to put my own spin on how we do things and play fast.
“Whereas a year ago, I was learning, so you do things at a certain learning tempo. You never get to go full speed, because you want to make sure you’re doing it right, so you kind of move with caution. Now I know what it looks like and I get to just put my flavor on it.”
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That flavor — for Agholor and a handful of other Patriots entering their second season in New England — figures to be a critical ingredient if coach Bill Belichick’s squad is to improve on last season’s 10-7 record and embarrassing 47-17 playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills.
The reason is obvious: Unlike last offseason, when the Patriots spent a then-record $163 million in guaranteed money in free agency, Belichick was more conservative this year and is banking on internal improvement from 2021 free agents and draft picks.
Agholor is a signature example of this thinking. He signed for two years, $22 million in March of 2021, and his production (37 receptions, 473 yards, 3 TDs) didn’t match the price tag for a variety of reasons. But he remains optimistic better days are ahead.
“The best part about it, Year 2 in the Patriots’ system is when guys really get going. I feel comfortable, I’m excited to have my best season with the Patriots and show why I’m here,” he said.
Agholor joins fellow returnees Jakobi Meyers (team-high 83 catches for 866 yards, 2 TDs) and Kendrick Bourne (55 for 800, 5 TDs) atop the receiver…
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