This all started last year when All World tight end Rob Gronkowski decided to (temporarily) retire after 9 seasons that saw him play in 115 of a possible 144 games he caught 521 passes for 7,861 yards 15.1 per reception, 79 touchdowns, and added a 2 yard carry for a td. Gronk stepped away for just one season. But returned only to be traded away for a 4th round pick after his hiatus.
When Gronk retired the Patriots cycled through a large list of tight ends:
Austin Seferian-Jenkins-Signed in April, which ultimately led the team to trade away Hollister. When Watson returned ASJ had shown he was not ready to return to the NFL, and was released in June.
Benjamin Watson-returned from retirement for the 2019 season, began the year with a 4 year suspension for a banned substance he took shortly after his first retirement. He returned from suspension only to be released, then resigned, his stay with the Patriots lasted 10 games. He decided to hang it up again this offseason.
Matt LaCosse signed from Denver 2019 after 4 years bouncing around on the bottom of rosters.
Jacob Hollister-Traded to Seattle, before developing a larger role within their offense.
Andrew Beck-Listed as a FB/TE he played as a tight end primarily. He ultimately was released in August and Signed off waivers by Denver where he displayed some athletic ability prior to a season ending injury.
Lance Kendricks-Signed away from the Rams to compete for the starting job. Ultimately wound up suspended, and released 2 months after being signed before landing in L.A. with the Chargers.
Eric Saubert- A former mid round pick by Atlanta, the Patriots traded for him in an effort to throw darts hoping one stuck. Alas, Saubert wasnt the guy and lasted just 18 days before being cut. He landed on the Raiders practice squad before being signed by the Bears land of the forgotten tight ends.
Heading into 2020 offseason the Patriots have lost Ben Watson and James Develin to retirement. Gronk came back only to be traded to the Bucs to reunite with Brady.
The Patriots retained Matt LaCosse, Ryan Izzo, and Jake Burt from the 2019 depth chart to compete with two third round picks used in the 2020 draft.
The first third round pick was used on 6'3 279 lb Devin Asiasi from UCLA. Despite his size he was not regarded as a very good blocker but however was regarded as a better athlete and route runner than one would expect. He projects as the future number 1 option in the receiving game if he can beat out the veterans at the position.
They traded back into the 3rd round to draft Dalton Keene. Although Keene is 6'4 258 lbs roughly 20 lbs lighter than Asiasi he is regarded as a better blocker. After graduating high school as a running back having just put up 171 carries for 1,175 rushing yards and 18 tds. He was very technically sound committing very few penalties, and proved reliable after starting 38 games straight. However he is not nearly as polished as a receiver and would need to develop his hands and route running more before being a starter. However he could make Danny Vitale, and Jakob Johnson expendable if he proves to be a viable option in the backfield.
Danny Vitale is a true fullback. He plays special teams, and blocks. He has recorded some receptions, and a couple carries but isn't an offensive threat in the slightest. He is one of those solid players that fills a set role. He will compete with incumbent Jakob Johnson.
Jakob Johnson will compete with Vitale but holds a dramatic upper hand with a roster exemption for being an International player. The Patriots gambled last season by not designating him as such so they could promote him to the active roster if needed. Ultimately Develin suffered what ended up being a career ending injury and Johnson was activated and played in a game before being injured himself and landing on IR. My hunch is with him being designated as an IPP player this year the Patriots will likely try to sneak him on the practice squad once again. This time in an effort to groom him for 2021.
When I look at their roster as a whole I don't see them carrying more than 5 players between tight end and fullback, with a minimum of 1 player from this group on the practice squad.
Looking at the group as a whole my expectation would be that they will keep
Asiasi
Keene
LaCosse
Ryan Izzo
Danny Vitale
I believe Asiasi and Lacosse will be the number and 2 targets at the position respectively although by the end of the season it wouldnt surprise me to see Keene pushing both LaCosse and Vitale for playing time. The Patriots love versatile players so having a guy like Keene who can act as a second tight end or as a fullback in the backfield who is a legitimate running threat, is an asset they will not hesitate to use more as he gets acclimated to the playbook. Izzo hangs on due to his youth, having just been drafted in 2018, he managed to catch 6 passes last year for 114 yards and 1 td after heading into the season buried on the depth chart. He will also make a lot of fans in the Patriots coaching staff because he is a very willing and able blocker who believes that is more important to perfect than catching passes. Honestly if I am a New England coach I encourage this guy to start learning how to longsnap as well. Joe Cardona is only 28 years old and signed for 2 more seasons but Izzo is 24 years old, and a bottom of the roster type player who could benefit from added value on special teams. He could potentially parlay that skill into a long career in the NFL.
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