FOXBORO — The addition of Chad Ochocinco to the Patriots brings a new dimension to the New England passing game, one the Patriots have lacked since Randy Moss was dealt last October: A big receiver. While he is not the elite receiver some once called Chad Johnson — he averaged more than 15 yards a catch in 2002, 2003, 2006 and 2007 — he is still smart enough to occasionally stretch the field and provide a dependable pass-catching presence for the Patriots.

However, Ochocinco’s real strength these days is not so much as a vertical threat, but more as a route runner. We asked the guys at Pro Football Focus for their take on Ochocinco as a Patriot, and here’s what editor Sam Monson said.

“Ocho is an interesting guy for the Patriots.  He’s a pretty slick route runner, and he hasn’t lost all of his speed, but he’s not really a deep threat — as everybody has been clamoring for [New England] to bring in since that playoff game.

“He tends to operate more in that intermediate 10-20 yard range (40 percent of his passes come in that window). That’s compared with just 16.5 percent for Wes Welker. He can force the D to back off a bit from the shallow zone routes and make them respect the intermediate digs, comebacks and corner type routes.

“He’s still got good hands, but he doesn’t run away from people after the catch. His damage is done on the route, not with the ball in his hands. Only five starting wide receivers averaged fewer yards after the catch per reception than the 2.9 yards per catch Ochocinco put up in 2010.

“The question becomes has he got enough raw athleticism left to be able to shake tight man coverage like [Darrelle] Revis, and so far every encounter with Revis suggests he can’t.”

Former Patriots wide receiver Troy Brown spoke with WEEI.com in January about the idea of Ochocinco coming to New England, and praised his skills as a lateral threat with superior footwork.

“He is a tremendous route runner. The guy can cut on a dime and he’s got great speed,” Brown said. “He has great feet — he’s a former soccer player. He’s able to run routes and come out of breaks really well and catch the ball at tough angles. I think he’d be a great fit in New England.”

Can he connect with Tom Brady?

“The first two things [Brady] looks for in a wide receiver are, ‘Can he get open?’ and ‘Can he catch the ball?’ Those are the first two things you need if you’re going to be a successful wide receiver with Tom Brady,” Brown said.

“You also have to be smart enough to pick up the offense. Your football knowledge has to be pretty darn good to play in the New England system. He will throw you the ball if you are open. If you do your job and get open and catch the ball, you will keep getting the ball.

“I think Chad has all those things. I think he’s smart enough and I think he plays hard. He’s a hard worker — he may have had different agendas when he’s been on other teams with other coaches, and he’s been able to get away with things. But he’s never been to jail or been in trouble with the law. None of that stuff. All he is is a self-brander that has been able to capitalize on certain things for his own benefit. As far as that goes, good for him.”

As Brown said, the 6-foot-1, 192-pound Ochocinco comes with some baggage. Sure, there’s the whole off-field act — the tweeting, the reality show, OCNN and the out-of-this-world touchdown celebrations — but when he is right, Ochocinco remains a very good football player. Even with a relatively subpar 2008 (53 catches, 540 yards and a career-low 10.2 yards per catch), statistically, he has had few peers over the last decade. Since entering the league in 2001, he ranks third in the NFL with 10,783 yards and seventh with 751 receptions.

Financially, the deal is certainly in line with New England's style. While he was scheduled to make $6.35 million for the Bengals this year, the Patriots reportedly wanted him to restructure his contract to fit their cap. Considering Ochocinco’s longtime desire to join New England, it’s a safe bet he will or has already acquiesced to the Patriots’ wishes.

As for what this means for the Patriots’ depth chart at wide receiver, some of the younger players — namely Taylor Price and Brandon Tate — will likely see a cut in playing time, as New England figures to enter the season with Ochocinco, Wes Welker, Deion Branch, Julian Edelman and maybe two more bodies, tops at the position ... and that doesn’t even take into account possible further action in free agency.

In addition to what he brings to the Patriots from an on-field perspective, the deal is the culmination of a long and weird friendship between the Patriots coach and the wide receiver. The two have been pals for several years now — Belichick said the two initially met when he worked Ochocinco out on the USC campus back in 2001.

“[We] kind of ran him into the ground — it was a good workout. It was very impressive,” Belichick said. “He was, I’d say, a little raw coming out of college, but very talented and clearly he made the transition very quickly to picking up the skills and techniques and so forth, that maybe he didn’t get a chance to do in college. He picked those up in a hurry.”

The two stayed in touch, and that relationship deepened after they spent time together at the 2006 Pro Bowl.

“It became a relationship beyond just a football player and a coach. He became a friend of mine,” Ochocinco said. “He has a lot of respect for me in my game and I have a lot of respect for him in everything he’s done as a coach.

“We just became really close and fond of each other’s work. He’s one that I look up to tremendously, one that I’ve never played for, but I show the same respect as if he was my own head coach.”

In that context, a relationship with a character like Ochocinco makes a lot of sense.

“I like Chad — I like him as a player. I like him as a person,” Belichick said. “I like his enthusiasm and the fun he has with football, and I like how he competes on the football field. I have a lot of respect for that.

“[We’re] an odd couple, but in the end I think we have a lot of things in common.”