With 11 wide receivers vying for a roster spot, there's a possibility that either Branch, Gaffney or Stallworth will be left on the outside.
New England Patriots wide receiver Deion Branch listens to a reporter's question during a media availability after NFL football practice in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday, May 31, 2012.FOXBOROUGH – Looking across the practice field and seeing Jabar Gaffney and Donte' Stallworth has been an odd sight for Deion Branch.
All three players entered the league through the 2002 draft, and after having individual stints with the New England Patriots at various points over the last decade they have been reunited in Foxborough this spring.
"It's so crazy," Branch said. "All three of us in the same draft class. To have the opportunity to play with these guys is great."
But what's really jarring for Branch is knowing that he's going to have to cut off one of their heads if he doesn't want to be the odd man left on the curb when the rest of the team pushes towards a new season.
The wide receiver position has emerged as the deepest spot on the Patriots' roster with 11 players vying for what will likely end up being six spots. That arithmetic promises to equate to a few shocking cuts.
With Wes Welker, Brandon Lloyd and Matthew Slater eating half of those roles, and Julian Edelman likely taking another for his various contributions in various facets of the game, there's a good chance either Branch, Stallworth and Gaffney will end up on the outside.
That's a sobering revelation for all involved, but Branch welcomes the competition and fully understands what is at stake. But in the interim, the players remain in an awkward holding pattern where they must view each other as cohorts working towards a similar goal while knowing that each man on the field is also an adversary.
"We're always competing. It's just all about now and executing the plays the coach gives each and every one of us to do," Branch said. "First of all, we're teammates. We've got one goal. We're all on the same side of the ball; everybody is trying to make plays. They're going to give everybody the opportunity to make plays and it's time to cash in."
This particular positional battle is also unique since all three players have proven chemistry with quarterback Tom Brady, one of the prerequisites for success in New England's offense.
Branch and Brady's unspoken bond, which states that they can communicate thoughts through a quick glance, has been well documented over the years, and last year it allowed them to hook up 51 times for 702 yards.
Stallworth spent the 2007 season in New England, where he caught 46 passes for 697 yards. However, he's caught a combined 41 passes for 561 yards during stops with Cleveland, Baltimore and Washington in the years since.
Gaffney, though, is the wild card of the group. The numbers he compiled in New England (85 receptions for 1,059 yards and eight touchdowns) from 2006-2008 aren't likely to blow anyone away. But last season when he signed with Washington, where he caught 68 passes for 947 yards, Brady expressed his admiration for Gaffney and a desire to have him return to New England.
But however it plays out, it seems Brady will be happy with whoever is catching his passes this season.
"We obviously have a lot of work to do before the season starts but it's been a lot of fun being out there and seeing Donte' and Jabar, who I've played with before and I really loved playing with those guys and obviously Wes, Deion, Chad (Ohocinco) and Julian," Brady said. "We've got a very competitive position."