The New England Patriots have a tight end problem, but with a mix of veterans and undrafted talent may end up with a solid group at the position.
Following the retirement of Rob Gronkowski, the New England Patriots find themselves with uncertain answers at the tight end position for the first time since 2010.
With a ton of draft picks entering the 2019 NFL Draft, it was certain Bill Belichick would use one of his high-round selections on a Gronkowski replacement, but the defending Super Bowl champions didn’t select a single tight end.
Instead, they went with a big wide receiver in N’Keal Harry and used a third-round selection on running back Damian Harris. What that indicates is the team will look to replace Gronkowski’s production by utilizing other positions.
Mainly, the team will turn to a power running game where the tight ends will primarily be used as blockers who occasionally go out for passes. Kind of how Rob Gronkowski was utilized towards the end of the regular season and throughout the playoffs.
Still, there is hope someone emerges as another target in the passing game for Tom Brady. Here is how the current group of tight ends rank following the NFL Draft and OTAs.
6. Andrew Beck
The 2019 NFL Draft came and went without the New England Patriots selecting Irv Smith Jr., Jace Sternberger, Dawson Knox or Kahale Warring.
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While the team would’ve certainly drafted either T.J. Hockenson or Noah Fant if either was available, the team had more than one opportunity to select the tight ends named above and passed.
Instead, the lone rookie tight end comes in the form of an undrafted prospect out of the University of Texas named Andrew Beck.
At 6-foot-4, 260 pounds, Beck is a run blocking tight end who brings the kind of toughness the Patriots like in a player. With average athleticism, Beck could morph into the next undrafted diamond in the rough if he shows he is a better pass catching tight end than he showed through his college career.
While he will certainly have to fight for a roster spot, there is something about Andrew Beck that excites the Patriots since they are giving him $115k in guaranteed money as an undrafted free agent.
Will Bill Belichick look like a genius once again? If the Texas product becomes anything more than a practice squad player in 2019, then the “In Bill We Trust” mantra will echo ever so loudly.
5. Stephen Anderson
The tight end no one is talking about, but perhaps the most intriguing is Stephen Anderson.
After spending his first two seasons with the Houston Texans, the New England Patriots signed Anderson to the practice squad where he spent most of the 2018 NFL season. He was promoted to the 53-man roster prior to the playoffs but didn’t see a snap.
In 28 NFL games, Anderson has 36 receptions for 435 yards. The majority of that production came in 2017 with the Texans where he racked up 342 yards receiving on 25 receptions.
A smaller, faster tight end, Stephen Anderson presents as a hybrid type playmaker that Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will certainly try to utilize in many ways. In that facet he does have an advantage when trying to make the team.
The disadvantage could be in the blocking game as the New England Patriots are tending in the direction of a more power running oriented team. Unless Anderson really impresses in the preseason, he could be one of the odd men out, especially if Andrew Beck and the next guy on the list shine in the passing game.
4. Ryan Izzo
The 2018 seventh-round pick ranks ahead of Stephen Anderson strictly because of his blocking ability.
Standing at 6-foot-5 and 255 pounds, Ryan Izzo is a young tight end with some upside. Coming out of Florida State, the New England Patriots second-year tight end was primary known as a run blocker but does come with pass-catching ability as he caught 54 passes for 761 yards in his four seasons with the Seminoles.
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While he appeared in just two preseason games for the Patriots in his rookie season before being placed on injured reserve, Izzo could be a reason why the team elected not to draft a tight end in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Entering training camp as basically another rookie, Izzo comes in with a year learning from the sidelines and also has an opportunity to compete for playing time if he makes the team.
In my opinion, Ryan Izzo ranks as the No. 4 tight end on the team due to what he can do as a blocker. If he shows any flash catching the ball, the Florida State alum could be the surprise at tight end the Patriots are looking for.
3. Matt LaCosse
Signed to a two-year deal worth up to $4.8 million, former Denver Broncos tight end Matt LaCosse has a chance to compete for a starting role with the New England Patriots.
At 6-foot-6, 255 pounds, the 2015 undrafted free agent is coming off his best season in the NFL. In 15 games with the Broncos, LaCosse had 24 receptions for 240 yards and one touchdown.
Now, those are certainly not dominant numbers compared to what Rob Gronkowski has done in his least productive season, but better than what both Dwayne Allen and Jacob Hollister combined for in 2018.
If LaCosse can find chemistry with Tom Brady, he really does have a chance to nab one of the two starting tight end positions. Entering his fourth year in the NFL, he has put in the type of work necessary to stick with an NFL team.
Is that enough to morph into something more with the New England Patriots?
He will definitely have the opportunity. On a team where former undrafted rookies have a trend of finding success, Matt LaCosse may just have an even higher ranking amongst Patriots tight ends by the middle of the season.
2. Austin Sefarian-Jenkins
Signed to a one-year deal, 27-year-old tight end Austin Sefarian-Jenkins has an opportunity to become the top pass-catching threat at the position for the New England Patriots.
He hasn’t started his Patriots career off right with missing the team’s first official organized team activities, but the excused absence won’t dent his status with the team at the moment.
It is what he does once he is on the field that will determine if he will be a viable factor in the team’s offense or if he even makes the team at all. That’s how unpredictable the New England Patriots current tight end situation is.
At 6-foot-6, 258 pounds, Austin Sefarian-Jenkins is a big target who is still looking for his breakout year as a pass catcher. In 2017 with the New York Jets, he had 50 receptions for 357 yards and three touchdowns. That was the most productive season he had since his second year in the league with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
If healthy and if he finds chemistry with Tom Brady, Sefarian-Jenkins definitely has the makeup and skillset to be a factor in the New England Patriots offense.
1. Benjamin Watson
It’s hard to believe a 38-year-old tight end will be the team’s No. 1 option at the position even though he will miss the first quarter of the season due to a four-game suspension, but that is the case right now for the New England Patriots.
Coming out of retirement, Ben Watson is certainly the most experienced, but does he have another solid season left in him?
Well, the team apparently thinks so as they are giving him the most money out of the tight ends currently on the team. Doesn’t say much considering the only other tight end who had success in 2018 was Matt LaCosse.
It also leaves open the possibility of the Patriots bringing in another top-notch tight end between now and the end of the preseason to pair with Watson if no one else emerges. That could be a player like Kyle Rudolph via trade or a player like Jimmy Graham if he gets released by the Green Bay Packers.
At this particular moment, however, Ben Watson (even at his age) is the team’s No. 1 tight end because of what he can still do on the field and the fact that he has the most experience playing with Tom Brady out of the tight ends currently on the team.