6 Patriots Who Could Be Cut Before Playing a Snap

2. Mitchell Wilcox, Tight End

One position that has been strong for New England for decades is tight end. Rob Gronkowski set the standard and from there, they began to go after big-name players such as Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith — although none will ever be able to dominate the way Gronk could.

This year, they're set to feature Henry as the primary option once again and No. 2 will be Austin Hooper. Once a prominent player in the league during his stint with Atlanta, Hooper's star has lost a lot of shine but he's still a solid blocking tight end who can be a weapon if utilized correctly.

Behind them, the Patriots have an intriguing rookie, Jaheim Bell. After a decent stint with the South Carolina Gamecocks, Bell transferred to Florida State for his final season and had 39 receptions for 503 yards with two touchdowns. While in Carolina, he was also used as a runner, picking up 261 yards and three touchdowns on the ground in 2022.

Bell should be utilized as an H-back but will take up the TE3 spot. That's not ideal for Mitchell Wilcox, who was signed in the offseason after spending the past four years with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Wilcox is primarily a blocking tight end but he did record 211 yards and a touchdown on 29 receptions. More impressive was his catch percentage, which stands at 82.9 as he brought in all but six targets in his career.

With New England, however, he might be the victim of a numbers game.