Report: Patriots Find Next Target After Ridley Rejection

Per Mark Daniels of MassLive, "one name to watch is Tyler Boyd," currently of the Cincinnati Bengals.

"According to a league source, the Patriots have shown some interest in Boyd, a former 1,000-yard receiver," Daniels said. "At this point, the level of ‘interest’ is the team is doing its due diligence on the 29-year-old veteran, who’s played all eight NFL seasons in Cincinnati."

As implied, Boyd put up two 1,000-yard seasons in a striped helmet, doing so in back-to-back years (2018-19). A second-round pick out of Pitt in 2016, Boyd is one of 19 receivers to earn at least 6,000 yards in that span, hitting that number right on the mark over his eight campaigns. 

Boyd is one of several capable catching names left on the ledgers but the Patriots are willing to leave things to the rookies if the Bengal bet fails to cash in. Per Josina Anderson of CBS Sports, the Patriots will "mainly turn their attention to the draft" upon Ridley's transfer. 

That's a risky strategy considering the plethora of established receiving talents in the AFC East, but at the rate this free agency session's going, New England might not have much of a choice. The Patriots partly built their young cabinet at last year's draft, picking Douglas and Kayshon Boutte on day three after using a second-round choice on Tyquan Thornton in 2022.