FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — There were times last season when the Patriots’ young wide receivers could have used some tough love.
It sounds like veteran wide receiver and free-agent pickup Mack Hollins could provide that this season for a group that includes Ja’Lynn Polk, Javon Baker, DeMario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte.
Hollins, 31, believes he can provide “a lot” of leadership for a group that was lacking in that department last season. The Patriots signed Hollins to a two-year, $8 million contract this offseason, reuniting him with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Hollins’ best career season came in 2022 with the Raiders with McDaniels as his head coach. He caught 57 passes for 690 yards with four touchdowns that season.
“I think what I’ve learned in my time in this league is that every room is different, every guy is different,” Hollins said. “But that’s also helped me learn how to adjust with different guys – this guy likes this way of conversation, or likes to get pushed in this way, or likes to practice this way or recover this way. But then also being able to bring the things that I’ve taken from my different teams in my years in the league, and allowing them to, hey, try the things I do. If you don’t like them, that’s fine, but at least you’re learning what you do like, what you don’t like, and what can help you play a long time and play at a high level.”
Hollins has worked with a number of young wide receivers throughout his multiple stops in the NFL. He entered the league in 2017 as a fourth-round pick with the Eagles and was claimed off waivers by the Dolphins late in the 2019 season. He was with the Dolphins through the 2021 season and believes Jaylen Waddle was a player who benefitted from his leadership but said, “by no means am I responsible for his success in this league.”
Hollins joined the Raiders in 2022 and said he was able to learn from Devante Adams. He spent the 2023 season with the Falcons, who had Drake London, then a second-year pro, on their roster. He shared a wide receiver room with rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman on the Bills last season.
“I think the the game is not transactional, but you take things from guys,” Hollins said. “I’ve taken things from O-linemen, from D-linemen, little things like that that have changed my game, and I hope that guys later in their career, can say, ‘Hey, Mack helped me do X, Y, Z.’”
• The Patriots are signing free agent and ex-Raiders safety Marcus Epps to a one-year deal worth up to $4.4 million, according to multiple reports.
Epps, 29, is coming off a torn ACL that ended his 2024 season after three games and 19 tackles. He will reportedly be cleared in time for training camp.
Epps has 45 career starts between the Eagles and Raiders, who signed him two years ago. In 2022, Epps first became a full-time starter with the Eagles and set career highs with 94 tackles and six pass breakups. He left for Las Vegas the following year in free agency and tallied 66 tackles, three pass breakups and a forced fumble that season.
Epps also has three career interceptions, though he hasn’t nabbed one since 2021. He entered the league with the Vikings as a sixth-round pick out of Wyoming in 2019. He split his rookie season between Minnesota and Philadelphia.
• The Patriots are signing ex-Jets offensive lineman Wes Schweitzer to a free-agent contract, according to reports.
Schweitzer is an eight-year veteran coming off two seasons with the Jets and previous stops in Washington and Atlanta. The 31-year-old projects as a depth signing at guard and center, having played only 150 offensive snaps the past two seasons combined. Schweitzer was last a full-time starter in 2020, when he started 13 of 16 games for Washington.
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