Here's the thing. How do you compare the production of a KJ Osborn type to Jacoby Meyers?
Meyers was that Pats #4 WR (by targets) in 2019, then their #1 for 3 years, then he went to Vegas and was the #2 behind Davante Adams.
KJ Osborn got zero offensive snaps as a rookie, and was the #3 WR in the next three seasons, but for the first 2 of those he was behind Jefferson and Thielen, and in the third year he was behind Jefferson and a first round rookie (Addison).
Had the switched places, Meyers would have been the #3 guy in AZ for those first 2 years because there is no way he was going to be targeted more than the other 2 guys. Maybe last year he is the #2, but he's abolsutely not at Jefferson's level or even close to that.
And Osborn, had he been in NE, would have had more opportunity and more tagrets than he did in AZ.
He did have a down year last year, but he took a one year prove-it deal and he's coming into a situation where the playing time and targets will be there for him to earn if he plays well.
I've always said Meyers is a #3 option masquerading as a #2, but being used as a #1 in New England. He's a #2 in Las Vegas only because Mayer was a rookie at tight end, their running back (Jacobs) isn't a real three down back and isn't a great receiver, and their remaining group of WR's was led by the corpse of Hunter Renfrow.
Osborn is and always was the #4 option in Minnesota. Even in 2021 when he became the true #3 WR, Tyler Conklin had more targets (87) than Osborn did. The following year, the only reason he had more targets than Hockenson at 90-86 (and less than Jefferson and Theilen) was because Hockenson played 7 less games for Minnesota than Osborn did. Then last year, Hockenson led the team with 127 targets, JJ had 100 (but he missed 7 games) and Addison had 108. Osborn finished with 75.
Now folks could view this one of two ways, Osborn is really a #3 WR or #4 receiving option on a team with a good tight end, or he was blocked by studs in front of him and is looking to break out. I personally think its the former because if Minnesota had seen what they needed from Osborn, they wouldn't have needed to go and spend a first rounder on Addison and trade for Hockenson. I would love to be wrong, but Osborn is a short (5'11) 200 pound guy who ran a 4.48 at the combine (and doesn't appear to be getting faster and will be slower outdoors than in the dome), and didn't do much while playing a lot of college football (mostly in the MAC for Buffalo). Bourne is actually slower, but he's bigger and I think he's a more crisp route runner (although that remains to be seen coming off an injury).
But IMO, none of these guys move any needles. It's more of the same, but if we follow the model of Miami, Philly, Buffalo, GB, etc., this is the year you get your QB, and then you start looking for studs to put around them next year and the year after. The Pats, IMO, didn't do that for Mac in year two (plus they fucked up the coaching situation) or year three and Mac didn't do himself any favors either, but I'm going to hold out hope they learned their lesson from that experience.
