Patriots

“He’s an explosive player. We need to see that on Sunday.”

Patriots rookie Javon Baker hasn’t seen the field much through the first eight weeks of his NFL career. That might change when the Patriots head down to Tennessee to take on the Titans in Week 9.

Jerod Mayo not only left the door open for Baker to see more snaps in Sunday’s game, but he seemed to indicate that the rookie will see the field against the Titans.

“The last couple weeks, he’s put together great weeks of practice,” Mayo told reporters when asked about Baker’s progress on Friday. “Now, hopefully, he gets an opportunity to go out there and play some receiver. He’s an explosive player. We need to see that on Sunday.”

Baker, who the Patriots selected in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, has only played six offensive snaps this season. But he’s seen a handful of snaps on special teams in the games he’s been active. That included a kick return against the Jets last week, a possible sign that the Patriots are gaining more trust in him.

Prior to New England’s upset win over New York, Baker had only been active for two games. He was a surprise healthy scratch for the Patriots’ Week 7 loss to the Jaguars in London, having an off-field “hiccup” before the game, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported.

Ahead of last week’s win over the Jets, Baker said he wasn’t sure why he wasn’t playing, but felt he was “heading in the right direction.”

“We have a really good, competitive room,” wide receivers coach Tyler Hughes told reporters of Baker on Oct. 25 . “The receiver position to me is one that requires so much detail and so much work. Most young guys don’t see the field right away. We’ve had one playing early, but for the most part, you usually see guys not playing as often in their first year.

“Just continuing that progress. Continuing that daily effort, I think, is the big thing. He’s close. I’m sure we’ll see him more and more as the season goes on.”

The Patriots appear to be at full health at wide receiver for Sunday’s game, with rookie Ja’Lynn Polk set to return to the lineup after missing Week 8 due to a concussion. Even though the Patriots have a handful of wide receivers battling for snaps, the group hasn’t been productive this season. DeMario Douglas is the only wide receiver on the team who has more than 15 receptions and the unit committed a few drops last week.

As a result, Baker might get the chance to show his potential to make big plays. He was productive in his last two seasons of college, recording 108 receptions for 1,956 yards and 12 touchdowns during his time between Alabama and UCF. His 21.9 yards per reception in 2023 was one of the best marks in the country last year.

If Baker is able to replicate just some of that explosiveness Mayo mentioned, it’d be tough to imagine him being left on the sideline moving forward.