The trade of Jacob Hollister has created an even bigger question mark for the New England Patriots tight end situation.
For nearly a decade the New England Patriots have had stellar tight end play. Ever since the drafting of Rob Gronkowski in 2010, the team has had one of the best players the position has ever seen.
Even when not fully healthy (which admittedly was few and far between the past few years), Gronkowski was still a matchup nightmare and someone that would keep defensive coordinators up at night.
However, the injuries finally caught up to Gronk. Although he developed into an elite blocker, he was clearly a shell of himself as a pass catcher. When needed he came out and made an excellent play, but it was clear for his own good he had to walk away.
Unfortunately, because of this, it means that the New England Patriots really don’t have a successor at tight end.
Patriots fans will flock to comment sections and will say “well, we have won without Gronk plenty, there is nothing to worry about”. This is, of course, true, the Patriots have won more than 75 percent of their games without Rob Gronkowski, but that is in large part due to the excellent backup plans.
Aside from a few spot starters, when Gronk has missed more than 5 games in a season his backups have been: Martellus Bennett and Michael Hoomanawanui. Martellus Bennett isn’t Gronk, but he was still in the upper echelon of players at the position, which means that there was not a tremendous drop-off.
Hoomanawnui brings much less to the table, and it showed. He did barely anything in Gronk’s absence in 2013, and the offense looked pedestrian on route to an embarrassing AFC Championship Game loss in Denver.
The point is, the New England Patriots have had a direct correlation between elite/above average tight end play and their success. There are ways to fix this though that is relatively cost-efficient.
Here are three ways to fix the Patriots hole at tight end.
Solution 1: Trade for Minnesota Vikings Kyle Rudolph
One of the easiest ways to improve upon a position is seemingly to trade for someone who has been consistently good at the position throughout his career.
This doesn’t have a 100 percent success rate, but all odds are increased by the wizardry powers of Bill Belichick.
Last Friday night, in round 2 of the NFL Draft, the Vikings selected Alabama tight end Irv Smith Jr.
Smith was the third tight end taken in the draft (first not from the University of Iowa) and even regarded as a possible first-round pick. Vikings GM Rick Spielman clearly did this with reason, as there were other positions of higher “need” for Minnesota.
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From that moment on, it has appeared Pro Bowl tight end Kyle Rudolph’s time in the purple and gold are numbered.
Now, Rudolph’s agent cited the Vikings drafting tight ends multiple times throughout the last few seasons, and that there is nothing to worry about by the recent selection. What he failed to realize was, those were all after the fourth round and tended to be primarily blockers.
An ESPN report also disagrees, as they said the Vikings were fielding calls about Rudolph during and after the draft.
Rudolph is 29 years old, and clearly has a good amount left in the tank. He may not have the pure athleticism that he once had, but he is still a suitable tight end. The main issue with Rudolph is that for someone with his stature, he is not very good at blocking.
New England loves blocking tight ends, and there was a noticeable difference in run game production for the Vikings when Kyle Rudolph was on and off the field. Belichick, of course, gets the best from his players, so potentially he could improve this aspect of Rudolph’s game.
All and all, he is a top 10 tight end in the league, and would only improve the team by giving Tom Brady another reliable player to throw the ball too.
Solution No. 2: Wait, and sign a training camp cut
The New England Patriots are the ultimate opportunists. Anytime a situation looks unfavorable, Bill Belichick seemingly always comes through to make a move that silences all the doubters.
Every year during training camp, players with large expiring deals or veterans with looming contract extensions are cut in order to save money and get younger at a position. One of the best things the Patriots can do is sign a veteran player to a cheap, short term deal.
The Packers just drafted Texas A&M tight end Jace Sternberger this past Friday; one of the better prospects at the position in the whole draft.
It has been rumored for a while that the Packers would like to move away from Jimmy Graham‘s lucrative contract.
Cutting Graham saves the Packers $8 million in cap room, which is a good amount for a player with seemingly dwindling production.
Graham is 32, but still shows flashes of his younger self. His presence alone on the field will draw attention from the defense, which is always a valuable trait to elicit. A few years of Graham with TB12 would be a great way for both men to end their amazing careers.
Redskins Vernon Davis is also a candidate to be selected as well.
At 35 years old, his days appear to be numbered. As a backup on the Redskins these past few seasons, he has shown he can still play. He has never been much of a blocker, but his speed and size have always allowed him to be a mismatch against most of the league’s safeties.
If anyone of note becomes available, expect the New England Patriots to be in line for their services. This is a cost efficient way and could serve as a valuable short term solution.
Solution No. 3: Do nothing, hope to develop who we already have
The least flashy solution of the bunch, but probably the most likely at this point in time. The New England Patriots don’t always address some of their roster issues, because frankly, they don’t necessarily have to.
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have always given New England the ability to win games, regardless of how good the pass catchers on the roster are. I don’t necessarily “love” any of the tight ends we have, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have potential.
Austin Seferian-Jenkins is a top of the depth chart for the time being, and that isn’t as bad as some fans make it seem. Just last offseason, many teams were bidding for the services for ASJ after his career rebirth with division foes the New York Jets.
Last seasons he was extremely underutilized, and also dealt with multiple injuries. He is a great red zone threat due to his 6’6 stature but hasn’t been able to consistently put up good receiving numbers for an entire season. With Brady as the one feeding him the ball, they could, of course, go up, but he has to get open.
The player I have the most faith in of the bunch is Matt LaCosse.
Everyone jokes that since his last name looks like lacrosse (one of Belichick’s favorite sports), that was the reason he was picked up. The real reason believes it or not, is because he is a pretty damn good football player.
LaCosse spent time on multiple teams’ practice squad, but when given the opportunity showed some promise. He has good speed and size, so if he improves his route running a bit, could definitely be valuable to the offense.
The other player to keep an eye on is recently signed undrafted free agent Andrew Beck. Beck was primarily used as a blocker while with the University of Texas but can be integrated into the passing game. He is extremely physical and just seems like a typical Patriots kind of player.
The New England Patriots tight end situation may seem bleak at the time being, but there is plenty of time between now and the season to refine the issue.