Getty

Javon Baker (r) of the New England Patriots finds his status on the team “tenuous.”

Judging what an NFL team’s roster will look like based on voluntary, non-contact workouts in May is usually not highly useful, but one New England Patriots receiver may already be on thin ice. After just one year with the Patriots, his position on the roster according to one insider is “tenuous, to say the least.”

Now, it appears that the receiver, 23-year-old Javon Baker, may have hurt his own cause with on-field behavior at Wednesday’s organized team activity (OTA) practice session, to the point where coach Mike Vrabel accompanied Baker back into the locker room, continuing to lecture him.

Baker was drafted by the Patriots in 2024, the first, last and only draft in the short-lived regime of now-fired coach Jerod Mayo. New England took the Central Florida product in the fourth round, at No. 110 overall. The team gave him a four-year, $4.8 million rookie contract.

A scouting report by NFL.com and NextGen Stats gave Baker a prospect score of 6.25, which indicates that a player “will eventually be an average starter.” Which is not bad for a 110th overall pick.

Baker’s Non-Productive Rookie Season

But Baker did not even live up to that modest billing in his rookie season. Appearing in 11 games — though starting only one — in what turned out to be a dismal, 4-13 season for the Patriots, Baker was targeted only four times.

He caught just one of those passes for 12 yards. But that reception did not come until Week 18.

That was the game when the Patriots handed the quarterback role to third-stringer Joe Milton III, who proceeded to put on a show so impressive that it made him a sought-after trade target in the offseason. In April, the Patriots dealt Milton to the Dallas Cowboys.

Drake Maye, the Patriots first-round draft pick in 2024, targeted Baker only three times, and never more than once in a game, with no success. In Wednesday’s OTA session, Baker was not on the field when Maye was taking his reps at quarterback, according to a report by Mark Daniels of MassLive.

Instead, Baker was allowed only to run routes for back-up QB Josh Dobbs, and third-stringer Ben Woolridge — an undrafted free agent out of Lousiana.

On one pass from Woolridge, according to a report by Jordy McElroy of USA Today PatriotsWire, Baker “made an impressive deep ball reception … after pushing off cornerback Brandon Crossley. After making the play, Baker celebrated and slowly jogged back to the huddle, while his other 10 teammates waited.”

Crossley, out of SMU, is another Patriots undrafted free agent signing, which gives an idea of where Vrabel sees Baker’s status on the roster — the third string at best.

Behavior Draws ‘Ire’ From Mike Vrabel

Given that status, Baker probably wouldn’t want to draw Vrabel’s “ire,” but that’s exactly what happened according to the MassLive report. Vrabel then “had words” for Baker.

But the young receiver engaged in similar antics during OTAs last year as a rookie as well, prompting Mayo to comment that Baker “has a lot to learn.”

Baker also had some troubling off-field incidents during his rookie season. He ended up on the injured list for Week 14 with a concussion that, he later admitted, he suffered during a car accident.

In another incident, Baker received a ticket from a police officer at Boston’s Logan Airport — and then took to Instagram where he posted a rant attacking the officer.

After Wednesday’s OTA, the Savage Boston sports podcast said it would be an “uphill battle” for Baker to make the team this year.

NBC Sports Boston Patriots insider Phil Perry echoed that concern.

“His spot on the roster is tenuous to say the least,” said Perry on Wednesday’s Patriots Talk podcast. “Congratulations. You caught a touchdown pass from Ben Woolridge. No offense to Ben, but you’re running with the threes and you caught a touchdown. This is not the time to just peel off and go get a water. The rest of the offense is still on the field.”

Jonathan Vankin JONATHAN VANKIN is an award-winning journalist and writer who now covers baseball and other sports for Heavy.com. He twice won New England Press Association awards for sports feature writing. Vankin is also the author of five nonfiction books on a variety of topics, as well as nine graphic novels including most recently “Last of the Gladiators” published by Dynamite Entertainment. More about Jonathan Vankin