New England Patriots training camp rolls on in the midsummer heat at Gillette Stadium. Full-padded practices are now taking place this week, and a Christian Gonzalez injury scare was the story of Monday's session.
With just over a week until the team's first preseason game against the Washington Commanders on Aug. 8, now would be a good time to check up on former Patriots and their endeavors heading into this season.
Former Patriots TE Dalton Keene Looking to Land with Fifth NFL Team
After tearing his ACL in August of last year as a member of the Houston Texans, tight end Dalton Keene has had trouble finding a job with training camp ongoing.
Keene, 26, was the Patriots' third-round pick (101 overall) back in the 2020 NFL draft. Coming out of Virginia Tech, Keene posted 28 receptions for 341 yards and three touchdowns as a sophomore in 2018. As a junior, the St. Louis, MO native put up 21 receptions for 240 yards and five TDs in 2019 before declaring for the NFL draft.
Yes, those numbers don't look all that good on paper, and Keene hasn't translated well to the pros ever since his Day 2 selection in 2020. The Patriots' tight end situation had not found an answer following Rob Gronkowski's first retirement before the 2019 season, and the team fielded Matt Lacosse at the position in Tom Brady's last season with New England.
This ultimately led to the Patriots selecting both the aforementioned Keene and fellow tight end Devin Asiasi in the third round of the 2020 draft.
Keene struggled with his fair share of injuries as a Patriot, ultimately leading to his release in August of 2022. He played in just 6 games (all in 2020) and caught 3 passes for 16 yards with no touchdowns. Neck and knee injuries cut his rookie season short, and he missed the whole 2021 season after undergoing surgery on his meniscus.
The Patriots' signing both Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith in 2021 free agency ultimately ended Keene's time in New England after a tenure plagued with injuries, as he was released just one day before the aforementioned Devin Asiasi in 2022. Two tight ends drafted in the same round that couldn't have panned out much worse for the Patriots.
After his release from the Patriots, Keene bounced around the Philadelphia Eagles, Denver Broncos, and Houston Texans practice squads before getting promoted to Houston's active roster in November of 2023. He would play just one game with the Texans, lining up at tight end and on special teams, and then was assigned to the practice squad just a day later.
The Texans signed Keene to a futures/reserves contract in January of 2024, as he looked to make the roster heading into last season's training camp. That dream was cut short, as Keene tore his ACL and was placed on injured reserve, forcing him to miss all of last season. He has been without a job ever since, as teams rightfully want nothing to do with his lengthy injury history and minimal production when he's played.
Time will tell if Keene can land another opportunity, but the ex-Texan's career has taken a turn for the worse after only playing in seven games across four seasons.