There’s not much at stake for the New England Patriots’ passing offense. The team isn’t going to make the playoffs — not with a 2% chance. Their passing offense has the fewest touchdowns in the NFL (8) and the fourth-fewest passing yards per game (185.4). They can’t get much worse — which is why it could be the perfect time for the Patriots to see what they have in their young tight ends.
There’s been tremendous discussion about what the Patriots have lacked in talent at receiver this year. But the shortcomings at tight end have been pronounced. With Ryan Izzo on injured reserve, rookie Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene will need to take on bigger roles. Belichick was asked about how they’ve developed in 2020 and what the Patriots’ plans for the tight ends might be in the final three games.
“We’ll see how it goes here as they get more experience and more reps at what they’re doing,” Belichick said Wednesday. “Hopefully we can make progress every day.”
It’s not exactly a resounding endorsement.
Belichick pointed out that both Keene and Asiasi have spent time on injured reserve this season, which has impacted their development. It’s challenging for a player to integrate with the offense with limitations in practice. That can put back the development of a rookie in a season where they already had a truncated offseason due to the pandemic.
Even so, these two rookies seem behind the curve of their rookie teammates. Safety Kyle Dugger, linebackers Josh Uche and Anfernee Jennings, offensive linemen Justin Herron and Michael Onwenu have all gotten significant snaps. Uche and Herron spent time on injured reserve this year.
When Keene entered the league, Belichick seemed to issue a word of caution to both the tight end and the media. Belichick relayed a conversation he had with Keene after drafting him: “I’ve already talked to him about that, that it’s going to be a big transition for him in terms of learning our system.”
So it makes sense that Keene, who played a tight end/fullback/H-back hybrid role at Virginia Tech, would need time. Asiasi, meanwhile, was touted as pro-ready after playing in Chip Kelly’s system at UCLA. That label may have been an overestimation of his readiness, particularly in a Patriots system that has proven challenging for rookies to learn.
While Asiasi has zero catches and Keene has one for eight yards — which is, in part, why the whole tight end group has just 14 catches for 207 yards — these final three games are the perfect opportunity for New England to get those youngsters involved in a more significant way.
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