When the New England Patriots brought in receivers Donald Jones and Michael Jenkins earlier this offseason, their final roster spots were far from guaranteed. As were their contracts.And after New England drafted two wideouts in the first four rounds of the 2013 NFL Draft, something will certainly have to give. (photo: Jeffrey Beall, Flickr)
As ESPN Boston notes, Jones and Jenkins are two of the dozen Patriots players most affected by the draft and late free agent signings.
The recently-acquired Danny Amendola is a lock to make the roster, and the re-signed Julian Edelman has a leg up due to his familiarity with the system and the fact that the team thought enough of him to bring him back in the first place.
New England took Marshall's Aaron Dobson and TCU's Josh Boyce in the second and fourth rounds, respectively, and will certainly get them involved immediately.
That leaves just the fifth and sixth spots on the depth chart available. If everything holds, Jones formerly of the Buffalo Bills, and Jenkins, formerly of the Minnesota Vikings, will likely be fighting over the same spot. That's assuming they roll with five wideouts.
They could also have a special-teamer like Matthew Slater or another versatile player tabbed in as the fifth wideout to save to roster space, considering their love for tight ends and the every circulation tailbacks corps. If that's the case, Both Jones and Jenkins could be on the outside looking in.
According to Rotoworld.com, neither Jones or Jenkins have any guaranteed money in their contracts. Jones is signed for three years and Jenkins one.
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