Patriots
Baker has only seen the field for a handful of offensive snaps so far this season.
When the Patriots drafted Javon Baker in the fourth of the NFL Draft in April, he brought excitement right away. Nearly halfway into his rookie season, Baker hasn’t brought any of that excitement onto the field.
The Patriots rookie wide receiver has been a healthy scratch in four of the first seven games and has only played six offensive snaps this season. Baker isn’t entirely sure why he hasn’t seen the field much in the opening months of his career, but he thinks he’s progressing.
“I don’t know. I don’t know,” Baker told reporters when asked why,” Baker told reporters. “You have to ask coach that.
“I feel like I’m heading in the right direction,” Baker added. “But that’s a coach question. You have to ask him that one.”
Patriots coach Jerod Mayo was actually asked about Baker’s playing time before the wide receiver met with reporters on Friday.
“Just continue to get better,” Mayo said when asked what it would take for Baker to see more playing time. “Not only is he going to be a good receiver, but he’s also one of those guys that just loves football. He has to continue to improve in special teams as well. Look, there will be a time when he’s on the field, and he’ll be a good player for us.”
Even though Baker’s a rookie, his relatively low playing time might be a surprise to some for multiple reasons. 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.
Baker exuded confidence when he was drafted, saying, “I make people in wheelchairs stand up.” As the Patriots have lacked a flashy, big-play threat at receiver in recent years, it seemed like Baker might have filled that role.
Despite the Patriots’ struggles at wide receiver, Baker hasn’t been able to break through yet this season. Baker’s position coach stressed that there’s a learning curve for rookie wide receivers, saying that the “arrow is always pointing up” with the fourth-rounder.
“We have a really good, competitive room,” wide receivers coach Tyler Hughes said on Friday. “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.”
Baker might get his first big crack at seeing the field as early as this Sunday when the Patriots take on the Jets. Fellow rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk is out due to a concussion, opening up some snaps at the position.
Polk has also had a rough last few weeks. He’s made a few costly drops and has had some bizarre off-field moments. Baker doesn’t think his teammate “has gone through a struggle,” saying that there’s “nothing wrong with him” as the two have struck up a competitive bond.
“That’s my brother, right there,” Baker said. “He’s competitive. A competitive person. I’m competitive, but he’s competitive. So it’s like … he’s so competitive that he might say, ‘Hey, I’ll put my pads on faster than you.’ The next day, I’m going to try and one up that. He’s very competitive. That’s who we want on this team; guys who are competitive.”
Polk isn’t the only receiver on the team that Baker has struck a bond with. He said he appreciates Kendrick Bourne’s charisma and leadership as he’s among the group of people he’s leaning on before his first major taste of NFL action.
“I’m doing good. Been learning every day,” Baker told MassLive’s Mark Daniels. “At the end of the day, that’s all I have to do is learn, I’m a rookie. Just learning from the older guys.”
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