The New England Patriots have issues in their wide receiver room that go beyond the players' performance on the field.
Those concerns were addressed during a team meeting on Thursday. As our Phil Perry explained, the Patriots demanded more professionalism from their players, particularly their young wideouts.
That includes fourth-round draft pick Javon Baker, who was inactive for last week's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. The 22-year-old claimed he didn't feel well enough to play in the Week 7 matchup, but it indeed was a team rules violation that led to his benching.
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"It's my understanding that Javon Baker did miss curfew on Saturday night in London," Perry reported on Sunday's Patriots Pregame Live. "He was late getting back to the team hotel ahead of their game vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was inactive for that game."
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Baker was inactive for four of the Patriots' first seven games of the season. He played only six total offensive snaps heading into Sunday's Week 8 matchup vs the New York Jets, during which he was active.
"It's moments like that, especially for a player who's had a hard time getting on the field period because of his inability to understand exactly where he needs to be and when on a consistent basis within this offense," Perry added. "It's those types of issues that are holding this group back, and you hope that it doesn't hold the quarterback back."
Baker isn't the only Patriots wideout making headlines for the wrong reasons. Fellow rookie Ja'Lynn Polk has struggled with drops despite boldly stating he has "the best hands in the league." Second-year receiver Kayshon Boutte has voiced displeasure with his lack of targets. Veteran K.J. Osborn seemingly wants a change of scenery.
It's a less-than-ideal situation for rookie QB Drake Maye, whose development is critical to the future of the organization. Setting the third overall draft pick up for success is priority No. 1, and that process starts with straightening out the dysfunction in the receiver room.