New England Patriots in need of another tight end position makeover
The New England Patriots have regressed at the tight end position since Rob Gronkowski left. That’s no surprise. Yet, as with other positions, the team can’t seem to get out of its own way in trying to get players in who can actually play tight end.
In trying to fix the post-Gronkowski situation, the Patriots have invested heavily in the position in recent offseasons with little to show for it. They need a refresh if not a total or near-total makeover. It ain’t workin’ and it needs to be fixed.
In an attempt to address the position in the 2020 draft, the New England Patriots whiffed on not one but two third-round picks after trading up to acquire both. They were Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene who hardly saw the field at all. Neither could play, nor are they now on the squad.
After that debacle, the team spent mega-millions of owner Bob Kraft’s cash to sign two free-agent tight ends, Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry. Smith has been a total bust. Henry has been better, but that’s not saying much.
After all the euphoria over the signings, little has been delivered in terms of product. Mr. Kraft must be as “ecstatic” about that blown cash as he is over the Patriots’ dismal drafting for most of the past five or six years.
With that in mind, Let’s take a look at how the position can be fixed or at least upgraded this off-season.
New England Patriots need a complete tight-end transformation
One way to fix the position is to cut your losses (as they did with Asiasi and Keene) and trade or release either or both of Smith and/or Henry. Smith would be the obvious choice, but there’s a catch called dead money on the salary cap in cutting either.
Think the two tight-end signings were OK? Think again. Smith and Henry are the second and third most costly players on the New England Patriots roster. Smith’s cap hit is $17.2M and Henry’s is $15.5M.
Even worse, Smith’s dead cap hit if he’s released is even more, $19.06M! Henry’s is $5M. Here’s what Fran Brown of Musketfire.com had to say about the situation,
"Of course, fans are asking, why not just cut Jonnu Smith instead? Despite being as reliable as the local weather, Smith’s contract makes it hard to move on from him. Releasing Smith would cost the Patriots $19 million in cap space, so he isn’t going anywhere. Meanwhile, releasing Henry would cost $5 million in cap space but would free up $10 million."
Saying the Smith signing was a complete disaster is not too strong a wording. You trade Smith if possible, and/or you cut Henry and save the $10M on the cap if you have to. That’s step one.
New England Patriots possible additions at tight end
The New England Patriots have options if they want to revamp the tight end position. One option is to add in free agency. Lou Scataglia of Musketfire.com has the following idea,
"…a free agent of the Dolphins’ that the team should target is a better tight end than both Henry and Smith, and that’s Mike Gesicki, who was sparingly used in 2022 with Miami as the Shanahan-style offense the team runs calls for tight ends to excel at blocking, which is one thing that Gesicki does not."
The Patriots could do worse than Gesicki. Evan Engram from Jacksonville is probably the best in the free agent market. He caught 73 last season for four TDs and 766 yards. Robert Tonyan Jr. of Jacksonville and Hayden Hurst of Cincinnati would also be worth a good look.
In the draft, the team probably isn’t and shouldn’t be looking too high up for a tight end. They have too many more pressing needs elsewhere. But a fourth-rounder might fit in just fine.
Pro Football Focus has a few who are projected on Day three (fourth round plus) who may fit. These include a big blocker, Brevyn Spann-Ford, 6’7″ tall and 270 pounds from Minnesota, and Davis Allen from Clemson, 6’6″ tall and 260 pounds.
dark. Next. New England Patriots: Top 5 pass catching tight ends of all time
Should the Patriots want to go a bit higher, a late Day 2-choice and PFF’s seventh-ranked tight end is Tucker Kraft of South Dakota State. His height is 6’5″ and weighs 255 pounds. he’s the best pass-catcher in this group. One problem, he was injured for almost the entire 2022 season.
So those are some options should the New England Patriots decide to revamp the tight end position. Who do you think they should acquire? We’d like to hear.