Rosevelt Colvin: Patriots 'Had Their Hands Tied' Before Floyd Signing
BOSTON (CBS) -- Michael Floyd has quickly become one of the most talked-about additions to the Patriots roster in recent years. The former Cardinals wide receiver is due $1.2 million and is less than two weeks removed from a DUI arrest that revealed a shocking BAC level and embarrassing video of the incident, so he's not your typical mid-season scrap-heap signing.
Former Patriots linebacker Rosevelt Colvin understands why Floyd has been viewed as a controversial signing, which he discussed on Friday morning with 98.5 The Sports Hub's Ryan Johnston and Mike Flynn filling in for Toucher & Rich. Like many others, he believes that the Patriots were one of the best possible landing spots for him after the Cardinals placed him on waivers. He also believes that Bill Belichick made the move in spite of all of Floyd's off-field issues because he could contribute to the offense as a receiver better than anyone else the team could have signed off the street.
"I think the Patriots had their hands tied when it came to just a lack of talent available at the position," said Colvin. "Bill [Belichick] is sort of the ultimate guru on trying to keep the distractions to a minimum, so I'm pretty sure they had a conversation with him ... 'Hey, we know you made a mistake. We just need you to stay focused and play football.'
"It's not hard to stay focused if you're staying at the Residence Inn in Foxboro."
Floyd may not ultimately get a large percentage of targets in the Patriots offense, which still boasts many options ahead of him on the depth chart. But the wide receiver position, in particular, has depth issues with Danny Amendola injured and other potential issues associated with young, inexperienced players like Malcolm Mitchell.
Floyd is one injury away from becoming one of the top-three options at the position, which Colvin says is what led to the Patriots claiming him off waivers in the first place. The team simply needs depth for the stretch run of the 2016 season, and anything in 2017 and beyond will take care of itself down the road.
"I think what Bill was looking at was an immediate patch to a situation that he needed to rectify, which was a lack of talent at the wide receiver position," said Colvin. "He probably didn't want to go down the stretch having to deal with a rookie and then a couple of older guys that have some ailments. He wanted to make sure he had someone he could depend on, probably, to catch a ball. And I think he probably looked at Floyd as an option to focus for a month and a half and after that, they'll deal with the cards as they fall."
Colvin also assessed which teams are the biggest threats to the Patriots in the AFC playoffs and what he thought led to Malcolm Butler being left off Pro Bowl rosters. Listen to the full podcast below:
