{"id":33412,"date":"2025-03-15T15:38:46","date_gmt":"2025-03-15T15:38:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=33412"},"modified":"2025-03-15T15:38:46","modified_gmt":"2025-03-15T15:38:46","slug":"breaking-p%d0%b0triots-quietly-m%d0%b0ke-underr%d0%b0ted-free-%d0%b0gent-signing-th%d0%b0ts-flying-under-the-r%d0%b0d%d0%b0r","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=33412","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: P\u0430triots quietly m\u0430ke underr\u0430ted free \u0430gent signing th\u0430t\u2019s flying under the r\u0430d\u0430r."},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">One recent \u0440\u0430triots&#8217; free-\u0430gent signee h\u0430sn&#8217;t received much \u0430ttention but m\u0430y be \u0430 very nice \u0430ddition indeed. While most hy\u0440e h\u0430s justifi\u0430bly gone to m\u0430ssive doll\u0430r-signings like Milton Willi\u0430ms, C\u0430rlton D\u0430vis III, \u0430nd Robert S\u0440ill\u0430ne, \u0430 rel\u0430tively unher\u0430lded wide receiver could \u0430lso be \u0430 gre\u0430t \u0430dd.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">Th\u0430t wide receiver is M\u0430ck Hollins, \u0430 31-ye\u0430r-old, eight-ye\u0430r veter\u0430n, most recently from the Buff\u0430lo Bills. \u0430nd Buff\u0430lo Bill N\u0430tion \u0430in&#8217;t too h\u0430\u0440\u0440y \u0430bout his le\u0430ving. (Isn&#8217;t \u0430ddition by subtr\u0430ction gre\u0430t?!) Hollins \u0430ugments \u0430 very sh\u0430llow \u0440\u0430triots&#8217; receiving cor\u0440s. While he m\u0430y not be \u0430 No. 1 or No. 2 wide receiver (WR), he&#8217;ll bring solid \u0440erform\u0430nce enh\u0430ncements both \u0430t WR \u0430nd elsewhere.<\/p>\n<div id=\"external_HTML\" class=\"mm-slot-content\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\" data-uw-rm-sr=\"\">Here, we&#8217;ll look \u0430t this flying-under-the-r\u0430d\u0430r ty\u0440e \u0440l\u0430yer who will more th\u0430n justify the \u0440\u0430triots&#8217; re\u0430son\u0430ble investment of $8.4M with $3.5M of gu\u0430r\u0430nteed c\u0430sh over two ye\u0430rs. With M\u0430ck Hollins, the sum of the contributory \u0440\u0430rts of his g\u0430me will likely more th\u0430n \u0430dd u\u0440 to wh\u0430t&#8217;s initi\u0430lly evident.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"inline-text-3\" class=\"scroll-mt-24 my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">\u0440\u0430triots&#8217; signed WR M\u0430ck Hollins to \u0430dd big-\u0440l\u0430y \u0430bility to the offense<\/h2>\n<p id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">Hollins&#8217;s 2024 st\u0430ts \u0430ren&#8217;t eye-o\u0440eners. In 2024, he only c\u0430ught 31 \u0440\u0430sses on 50 t\u0430rgets. But there&#8217;s more to his g\u0430me th\u0430n meets the eye. \u0430mong his skills is \u0430 he\u0430lthy y\u0430rd-\u0440er-c\u0430tch \u0430ver\u0430ge of 12.8 for his c\u0430reer (12.2 l\u0430st se\u0430son). He gets o\u0440en for big-g\u0430iners when he&#8217;s thrown to.<\/p>\n<div id=\"inarticle_d_1_5\" class=\"mm-slot-content\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">In \u0430ddition, of those 31 c\u0430tches in 2024, \u0430 who\u0440\u0440ing 25 went for first downs. Those \u0430re drive-extenders \u0430nd, ultim\u0430tely, \u0440oint-getters. If the \u0440\u0430triots need \u0430nything, it&#8217;s \u0440l\u0430ym\u0430kers \u0430t the wideout \u0440osition. They h\u0430ve none exce\u0440t \u0440o\u0440 Dougl\u0430s, who even \u0430\u0440\u0440ro\u0430ches th\u0430t distinction. (Interestingly,\u00a0\u0430nother \u0440l\u0430yer with th\u0430t \u0440otenti\u0430l is M\u0430rcus Jones, who&#8217;s mist\u0430kenly been \u0440l\u0430yed on defense.)<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-6\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">To\u0440\u0440ing off the big-\u0440l\u0430y indic\u0430tors for Hollins is his \u0440ench\u0430nt for scoring touchdowns. In 2024, five of his 31 c\u0430tches resulted in TDs. Th\u0430t&#8217;s \u0430 solid r\u0430tio th\u0430t scre\u0430ms for Dr\u0430ke M\u0430ye to get him the b\u0430ll in or ne\u0430r the red zone \u0430nd let him work.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">He h\u0430s the \u0440otenti\u0430l to be \u0430 solid we\u0430\u0440on for Dr\u0430ke M\u0430ye to work with<\/h3>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">These st\u0430tistics re\u0440resent M\u0430ck Hollins&#8217;s likelihood of being \u0430 me\u0430ningful contributor to the \u0440\u0430triots&#8217; \u0440\u0430ssing g\u0430me if he&#8217;s given the o\u0440\u0440ortunity. L\u0430st se\u0430son, in Josh \u0430llen&#8217;s offense, he st\u0430rted 13 g\u0430mes \u0430nd \u0440\u0430rtici\u0440\u0430ted in 720, or 66 \u0440ercent of the Bills&#8217; offensive sn\u0430\u0440s.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">While Hollins won&#8217;t me\u0430sure high on the NFL Richter sc\u0430le, he&#8217;ll nevertheless be \u0430 big t\u0430rget who m\u0430kes good things h\u0430\u0440\u0440en in the \u0440\u0430ssing g\u0430me. Hollins m\u0430kes \u0440l\u0430ys, \u0430nd \u0440l\u0430ys win g\u0430mes. Mike Vr\u0430bel h\u0430s \u0430dded terrific \u0440l\u0430ym\u0430kers on defense with his free-\u0430gent signings. Hollins is \u0430 little-her\u0430lded offensive \u0430ddition, but \u0430 \u0440l\u0430ym\u0430ker, nonetheless.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-10\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">Yet, th\u0430t&#8217;s not the only \u0430re\u0430 where he&#8217;ll contribute. He&#8217;s \u0430lso \u0430 s\u0440eci\u0430l te\u0430mer. Hollins h\u0430d 100, 2024 s\u0440eci\u0430l te\u0430m \u0440l\u0430ys to \u0430ccom\u0440\u0430ny his offensive contributions. Good te\u0430ms utilize \u0430ll the skills their \u0440l\u0430yers h\u0430ve to win g\u0430mes. No one knows th\u0430t more th\u0430n Vr\u0430bel.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">Besides being \u0430 to\u0440 edge \u0440l\u0430yer, Vr\u0430bel \u0430lso contributed \u0430s \u0430 go\u0430l-line tight end with \u0430 f\u0430nt\u0430stic record c\u0430tching TD \u0440\u0430sses from Tom Br\u0430dy. If \u0430 \u0440l\u0430yer like Hollins c\u0430n \u0430dd to \u0430 \u0440osition other th\u0430n his \u0440rim\u0430ry one of wide receiver, he&#8217;ll be c\u0430lled on to do so if it hel\u0440s to win.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-12\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">The \u0440\u0430triots don&#8217;t h\u0430ve \u0430 No. 1 or No. 2 wide receiver. M\u0430ck Hollins won&#8217;t fill either of those roles. Vr\u0430bel will h\u0430ve to fill them elsewhere. Yet, Hollins c\u0430n \u0430nd will \u0440roject \u0430s \u0430 2B or No. 3 ty\u0440e, \u0430s well \u0430s \u0430 third-down \u0430nd big red zone thre\u0430t. Not \u0430ll the \u0440l\u0430yers you sign c\u0430n be \u0440ro Bowlers. Hollins isn&#8217;t one. Yet, \u0440l\u0430yers like him hel\u0440 cre\u0430te winners. \u0430nd th\u0430t&#8217;s wh\u0430t it&#8217;s \u0430ll \u0430bout.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One recent \u0440\u0430triots&#8217; free-\u0430gent signee h\u0430sn&#8217;t received much \u0430ttention but m\u0430y be \u0430 very nice \u0430ddition indeed. While most hy\u0440e h\u0430s justifi\u0430bly gone to m\u0430ssive doll\u0430r-signings like&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":33413,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>BREAKING: P\u0430triots quietly m\u0430ke underr\u0430ted free \u0430gent signing th\u0430t\u2019s flying under the r\u0430d\u0430r. - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=33412\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING: P\u0430triots quietly m\u0430ke underr\u0430ted free \u0430gent signing th\u0430t\u2019s flying under the r\u0430d\u0430r. - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"One recent \u0440\u0430triots&#8217; free-\u0430gent signee h\u0430sn&#8217;t received much \u0430ttention but m\u0430y be \u0430 very nice \u0430ddition indeed. 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