Bedard: What are the Patriots going to do now at receiver?

FOXBOROUGH — When Jordan Matthews was seen walking down Bill's Hill with his cleats in his hand during the middle of Sunday's practice, we had little indication it would be the last time we saw the former Eagle and Bill as a member of the Patriots.

But with Matthews being released Wednesday, that is indeed the case. The player who looked to be part of the solution after the departures of Danny Amendola and Brandin Cooks -- and Julian Edelman's suspension for the first four games of the season--  is suddenly out of the equation.

Now what?

That's the key question. And we're not talking about moving the ball between the 20s in the first quarter.

Even before the Matthews news, it appeared the Patriots could be on the verge of bringing back the two tight-end offense with Rob Gronkowski and Dwayne Allen in the Y role, and Jacob Hollister and Will Tye as the F (Flex) in the role made popular by the late Aaron Hernandez. And it's no secret the Patriots have some really good pass-catching backs in James White, Rex Burkhead and Sony Michel who would be in the mix as well, especially on third downs.

No, we're talking about when the Patriots need to be in a hurry to score points and/or spread the opponent out. When they go with one back, one tight end and three receivers  (11 personnel) — as they did 44 percent of the time last season for their more frequently used personnel grouping, according to Football Outsiders — who are those receivers going to be. And are they good enough? Or are we looking at a 2006 situation all over again?

First, with the release of Matthews, let's reset the depth chart.

[table id=85 /]

Let's also largely discount Malcolm Mitchell (unknown health future), and Julian Edelman right now because he's going to miss the first four games of the season when the Patriots play the Texans (25th pass defense efficiency in '17 per FO), at Jaguars (first), at Lions (16th) and the Dolphins (29th).

In the best-case scenario, as it stands right now, the Patriots are OK at receiver, as they can line up with Kenny Britt, Chris Hogan and Phillip Dorsett.

Britt, who has yet to cleared for camp after an offseason hamstring injury, looked great before the injury, and appeared to quickly acclimate himself to the playbook. Hogan is rock-solid, and has become Brady's new binky. Dorsett has been nothing but good since he arrived last summer, and seems to get better with every practice. We'll even throw in Cordarrelle Patterson, who receivers coach Chad O'Shea must be working wonders with because the rest of the league thinks Patterson can't learn a playbook.

So if everything goes perfectly, that's a good group. Hogan and Dorsett can both beat man coverage — a big concern going into this season — and Britt uses his body well to function against it. I still think Patterson is limited in his playbook, but he can run hitches and fly routes just fine.

But, as we all know, nothing goes perfect in the NFL, which means depth is likely to be a huge concern. Britt has played 16 games twice since his rookie season of 2009. Hogan was durable until he missed seven games last season. Dorsett and Patterson have been role players previously in their careers, so it's hard to make a judgment on durability.

Suffice to say, the Patriots are way too thin to enter the season with just this group — and that's without any more injuries. Certainly, you have to look long term when gauging the roster, so when Edelman returns, the Patriots are well covered at slot and Z with Edelman, Hogan, Dorsett and perhaps the Riley McCarron/Braxton Berrios winner. All of those players have the versatility to play in the slot and outside.

The larger concern is at X and the boundary. Depending on Britt and Patterson for anything — we won't even get into Mitchell and his balky knee — is inviting big-time trouble.

If the Patriots were to add to the mix — and they should — it would seem to be more prudent to add an experienced boundary receiver like Dez Bryant or Jeremy Maclin than a slot with more versatility like Eric Decker. The Patriots are short there too, but at least they can piece it together. The larger need appears to be on the outside, which is Brandin Cooks' old spot.

Bryant should be on his hands and knees begging for a shot to play in a real offense with a real quarterback ... which would get him a shot at another payday. The Patriots can deal with him. The truth is he likes football and practices hard.

Maclin would be a little bit more of a leap of faith because he flamed out with the Ravens — with Joe Flacco and that offense, who didn't? — after being released by the Chiefs.

Of course, you could make the argument the Patriots should have just held onto Cooks and his $8.5-million salary, let him walk after 2018 and hoped that Isaiah Wynn was still there at 31 (instead of No. 23, which was acquired for Cooks) and passed on running back Sony Michel.

But that's an argument for down the road for when we see how things play out.

For now, after Matthews, the Patriots need some receiving depth. The vote here? Add to the boundary.