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Patriots’ Ridiculously Underrated Star Can ‘Tear Up’ the NFL, Wishes Kirk Cousins for Ex-Teammate K.J. Osborn

Published 04/07/2024, 4:57 AM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

The New England Patriots signed the former Minnesota Vikings WR KJ Osborn to a 1-year $4M deal recently. Osborn was initially the WR3 for the Minnesota team and quickly rose to a staple for the team but was behind Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen for most of his time there. It wasn’t till Thielen left the team that Osborn was promoted to play besides Justin Jefferson.

Kirk Cousins, the former Vikings QB, went on The Big Pod with Shaq and had a few praises to sing about the wideout. It might be safe to say that the Patriots made a great call to sign the WR while maintaining a No. 3 pick in the upcoming draft.

Kirk Cousins gives KJ Osborn his flowers

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When asked if the former Vikings QB wished to see any teammates or former teammates have a breakout year, Cousins jogged up his memory and had a few good things to say about the WR. “Pretty much all of them. But KJ Osborn as a receiver, who was with us in Minnesota, who was kind of in the shadows of Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen, and I always felt like KJ was better than the opportunities he got,” said the Falcons QB.

Cousins expanded on the conversation by adding, “And so he went to the free agency and went to New England, and I’d love to see him have a huge year in New England, kind of with a bigger role than what he had in Minnesota to show what he can do.” But Cousins’ statement can be corroborated with some facts and figures, to make the assessment more concrete.

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Osborn stats show he could shine in the Patriots

A study that PFF did gives us more insight into Osborn’s playing capabilities. He had the highest passer rating when he was targeted in the slot, i.e., 147.4 – the highest in the league. Though the stat is a couple of years old, the substance behind it still holds some weight. The Vikings Wire dubbed him as “ridiculously underrated.”

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This 2022 stat came when Adam Thielen left the Vikings, leaving room for Osborn to step up, and he did, with flying colors. His best season was his rookie season where he and 655 yards and 7 touchdowns, completing 50 out of his 82 targets. However, there are high chances that the Patriots will draft a good QB this year with a No. 3 draft pick, which might facilitate Osborn’s transition to the Patriots.

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Now, he will join Juju Smith-Schuster, Kendrick Bourne, Jalen Reagor, and Demario Douglas in the Patriots. However, per sources, the Patriots are still thinking of adding more depth to their roster this season with the second-round No. 34 pick, a third-round No. 68 pick, and a fourth-round No. 103 pick.

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What do you think about KJ Osborn joining the Pats? Let us know below.

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Written by:

Abhinav Prakash

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Abhinav Prakash is an NFL Writer at EssentiallySports. He covers several aspects of the game, more specifically core sports events. Abhinav has also covered Taylor Swift in great detail, apart from these stalwarts.
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Edited by:

Harshita