New England Patriots: 5 key players to watch in AFC East battle vs Miami
The tight end duo of Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene
With a running game that could be limited, this could be the game the New England Patriots get their two rookie tight ends going in the passing game.
They are high up on this list because any production out of Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene within the offensive game flow is something the Miami Dolphins are probably not preparing for.
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Both have been used in the running game when healthy and actually on the field. Perhaps it’s time to unleash each of their talents, especially if Cam Newton has to get the ball out early and often.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Bill Belichick hinted that there may be a little more opportunity in the last remaining games for the rookie tight ends.
"“Last week, they had a little more playing time, but unfortunately it didn’t correlate into more practice time or quality practice time because of the schedule we were on,” Belichick said, via Patriots.com. “So, we’ll see how it goes here as they get more experience and reps at what they ‘re doing and then how that transfers over into the game.”"
Newton had a lot of success throwing the ball to tight ends during his time in Carolina. Although either Dalton Keene or Devin Asiasi can’t even start to be compared to Greg Olsen, they do have the talent to make plays in the passing game.
Keene will be intriguing in this game because of his versatility. With the running back depth chart thin, there may be a rushing attempt or two by the tight end who has some experience playing at the fullback position.