Looking simply at the scoreboard, their preseason finale was one to forget for the New England Patriots. Resting a majority of their starters and seeing uneven-at-best contributions from their replacements, they got steamrolled by the New York Giants 42-10.
For Jeremiah Webb, however, the final result did little to dampen the excitement. Webb, after all, was one of the Patriots’ few standout performers on Thursday night in East Rutherford.
Besides catching three passes for 31 yards and a touchdown,
he also ran back a pair of punts for a combined 34 yards. As a result of his success versus the Giants, and the previous two exhibition contests, the undrafted rookie wide receiver has ended the preseason with 196 all-purpose yards on 10 touches — beating fellow rookies TreVeyon Henderson and Efton Chism to top the Patriots.
The 24-year-old may not have played himself in the roster conversation ahead of next week’s cutdown deadline, but he does look like a realistic practice squad candidate.
That in itself is a huge achievement for Webb.
“I’m living out the dream,” he said after the game. “The odds that I had to beat to get to where I am now, they’ve been slim to none. So, just finally being able to get here shows those where I come from that we can do that. I’m having a blast.”
A do-it-all player during his high school career at Urban Prep-Bronzeville in Chicago, Webb joined the University of South Dakota in 2019 as a two-star recruit. A redshirt as a true freshman who also did not play the following season due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he left the Coyotes after three seasons and only 11 in-game appearances.
His college career continued to be unremarkable after his 2022 transfer to South Alabama. He had to wait until his sixth collegiate campaign in 2024 to finally earn a regular role in the rotation and put up consistent numbers; Webb finished his final season in Mobile catching 36 passes for 649 yards and five touchdowns.
Despite his step up, Webb had to take a detour to get to the NFL. Neither projected as a draftable player nor a priority free agent, he decided to join the Berlin Thunder of the European League of Football. He spent only a month in Germany, though, before the Patriots took a shot at him as an undrafted rookie.
Since then, Webb has tried to reach two goals: to capitalize on his opportunities and, even more importantly, to serve as an inspiration.
“I know I always had it in me. I’ve always been an underdog. It just felt good to finally be able to prove myself,” he said before adding that “being able to continue inspiring those where I come from, that’s the main goal when I step on that field. …
“I’m from Chicago. Family from the South Side of Chicago. Grew up on the West Side. I know they’re proud of me right now; just being able to continue to inspire them, give them hope, knowing that we can make it from nothing.“
Webb has seen his reps as a punt and kickoff returner as well as a depth wide receiver increase throughout training camp. With the top of the depth chart getting limited action throughout preseason, he additionally finished with 75 offensive snaps plus nine more on special teams.
He caught a total of six passes for 80 yards along the way, including Thursday’s 10-yard touchdown from quarterback Ben Wooldridge.
“He’s the best person ever. He’s awesome,” the Patriots’ third-stringer said about his fellow UDFA. “If you ever need to laugh, if you need somebody to talk to, go to Webby. That dude’s awesome. He went to South Alabama, which is a rival of UL. At first I wouldn’t talk to him. Got to know him through OTAs, get to know him through the couple weeks we had off, he’s like the best dude ever. Just great personality and great football player.”
His skill on the football field and relentless ability to make the most of his chances have allowed Webb to play himself onto the Patriots’ roster bubble. He is more likely to have to aim for the practice squad than the 53-man roster — there are only so many wide receiver spots to go around — but still not worried about what lies ahead in the coming days.
“Whatever the future may hold for me, so be it,” he said. “I’m grateful for whatever opportunity comes my way.”
