The standard set by the 2007 New England Patriots remains safely out of reach.
Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Donte’ Stallworth combined for 256 receptions, 3,365 yards and 34 touchdowns during the Patriots’ undefeated regular season.
Moss supplied the history-breaking plays, while Welker became the league’s most reliable underneath target. Even Stallworth could be an automatic chunk yardage gainer, averaging 15.2 yards per catch.
No Patriots receiver group since has matched that combination of dominance and explosiveness.
But the 2026 Patriots wide receivers — assuming they stay on the team for the entirety of the season — also raises the bar high.
With A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, Kayshon Boutte, DeMario Douglas and Mack Hollins, New England may have assembled its deepest collection of established wide receivers since that 2007 team.
Patriots Have Five Receivers With Defined Roles
The strongest argument for the 2026 group starts with how far down the depth chart the Patriots can find an established role.
Brown gives Drake Maye the coverage-dictating No. 1 receiver the offense lacked for years.
Brown recorded 78 catches for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns in 2025, extending his streak to six 1,000-yard seasons in seven years. He also ranked sixth among wide receivers in ESPN’s receiver score metric while taking nearly 87% of his snaps outside.
Doubs brings another starting-caliber option after finishing with 55 catches for 724 yards and six touchdowns.
New England’s official film review described him as a high-end No. 2, while the team’s spring analysis projected him as a power slot who can work slants, option routes and other throws between the numbers.
The depth argument becomes more convincing behind them.
Boutte produced 551 yards and six touchdowns while ranking fourth in the NFL with 16.7 yards per reception.
Douglas added 447 yards and remains the group’s quickest underneath option, with Patriots.com highlighting his separation quickness on the short routes used in Josh McDaniels’ offense.
Then there is Hollins, who finished with 46 catches for 550 yards and led Patriots wide receivers with 657 offensive snaps.
McDaniels called him a “chess piece” in the running game, and Hollins also delivered a 20-yard catch on third-and-13 during New England’s game-winning drive against Baltimore.
Those five receivers combined for 243 catches, 3,275 yards and 24 touchdowns last season — only 13 catches and 90 yards fewer than Moss, Welker and Stallworth produced in 2007, though the legendary trio scored 10 more touchdowns.
2017 Is the Closest Wide Receiver Comparison
The 2012 and 2014 offenses had deeper collections of pass catchers than their wide receiver statistics suggest.
In 2012, Wes Welker recorded 1,354 yards and Brandon Lloyd added 911. The production dropped sharply from there at wide receiver. Julian Edelman was next with 235 yards, while Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez combined for 1,273 yards and 16 touchdowns.
The 2014 team followed a similar structure.
Edelman finished with 972 yards, and Brandon LaFell added 953. Gronkowski led the team with 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns, while Danny Amendola was the only other wide receiver to reach 100 yards for the season. He finished with 200 before becoming a far more important part of the playoff offense.
Those teams had several dangerous receiving options, but high-caliber tight end performances proved extremely central to the passing game.
The 2017 group provides the strongest challenge to the 2026 room.
Brandin Cooks produced 1,082 yards, Amendola added 659 and Chris Hogan had 439 yards and five touchdowns despite playing nine games. Phillip Dorsett was the fourth wide receiver with 194 yards, while Gronkowski led the team with 1,084.
That room also lost Edelman to the torn ACL that cost him the entire 2017 season. The remaining group had an excellent top three, followed by a considerable production gap.
At the end of the day, the 2007 group remains the best. But the 2026 room has a chance to become the deepest collection of Patriots wide receivers since.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post New England Patriots Have Deepest WR Room Since 16-0 Season appeared first on HEAVY.