Rob Gronkowski on making switch to defense: ‘I’ve thought about that’

Imagine Rob Gronkowski as a defensive end.  The New England Patriots star tight end says he has thought about making the switch to defense. 

Troy Brown has done it, Julian Edelman has done it and perhaps All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski could become the next offensive player to switch over to defense for the New England Patriots.

Unlike both Brown and Edelman, who played in the secondary during seasons when the team was thin at the position, Gronkowski was a talented defensive end before making the switch to tight end.  We know he has the size and the athleticism, but does he has the mind set to switch from a pass-catching tight end back to a defensive player?

After playing defense on a Hail Mary at the end of last Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans, the Patriots tight end reflected on his days playing defense.

"“If they put me at D-end ever, you’d see I’m a hybrid D-end,” Gronkowski said Thursday, via WEEI.  “Maybe one day I’ll switch to it.  I’ve thought about that.”"

While the possibility of Rob Gronkowski making a switch to defense wouldn’t happen anytime soon, you can’t rule it out with this team.  We all know head coach Bill Belichick loves versatility in his players and with Gronkowski’s size, he probably could find a creative way to utilize him.

With the way he rams through defensive backs and linebackers on the offensive end, Gronk already knows what it takes to plunge through offensive linemen.

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"“You just put your head down and you go up the field,” Gronkowski said.  You don’t gotta run 70 yards up the field.”"

If J.J. Watt can play tight end, Rob Gronkowski can play defen

sive end right?  Health aside, he certainly has the technique down if you take a look at his WWE appearance in the ring during Wrestlemania.

Gronkowski, the defensive back

As far as his opportunity to play defense last Sunday goes, the big tight end did get his hand on the ball by batting the ball to Duron Harmon for the interception that sealed the game.  Fittingly, he started the game with a touchdown in the end zone and ended the game by preventing a Hail Mary attempt at a touchdown to end the game.

"“I love that play,” Gronk said.  “Now I can say, whenever people ask me, that I play both offense and defense.  So, I enjoy it and it’s fun going in there and always going with the guys that I compete against all the time [in practice].  It feels like they’re right on your side, ‘Rob, you’ve got to pick this.  We need this for the team.’ It feels good.  I like doing it.”"

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Sounds like a two-way player to me.