The Patriots are desperate for depth at the position.
The New England Patriots are scheduled to host free agent tight end Dylan Cantrell for COVID-19 testing and a workout, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
New England deployed only one tight end in Week 8 (Ryan Izzo), with the potential of bringing practice squad edge rusher Rashod Berry into the role in Week 9. Izzo’s dealing with an injury and the Patriots don’t have many choices at tight end currently. Rookies Dalton Keene, Devin Asiasi and Jake Burt are all dealing with injuries as well.
Cantrell was drafted out of Texas Tech in the sixth round in 2018 and he’s spent time on the Los Angeles Chargers and Arizona Cardinal’s rosters. He hasn’t played an NFL snap yet, but he had 1,873 receiving yards and 18 receiving touchdowns over four seasons in college.
The Patriots are scheduled to host free-agent TE Dylan Cantrell for COVID-19 testing and an eventual workout, per a source.
Cantrell (Texas Tech) entered the NFL as a 6th-round pick of Chargers in '18. A WR/TE type at 6-foot-3, 240 pounds.
They love Maxx Williams and believe Dan Arnold and Darrell Daniels will be able to stretch the field for them.
The Arizona Cardinals, ever since the days of Hall of Fame tight end Jackie Smith, have been known for being a team with great players at the position. Under head coach Kliff Kingsbury, they are not a big part of the passing game. Four tight ends combined for 40 catches in 2019, out of 355 catches for the entire team.
However, Kingsbury really likes the talent he has at the position and believes there is a lot of potential.
“I like the room. I think there’s huge upside there,” he told reporters in a video call last week.
The leader of the group is Maxx Williams, who had 15 catches and one touchdown, but Kingsbury has had nothing but praise for him.
“Maxx has been ‘Steady Eddie’ for us; (he) can do it all,” Kingsbury said. “We loved what we saw from him last year, bringing leadership and juice to the field.”
Kingsbury also likes what Williams does for the rest of the room, who are all young players — Dan Arnold, Darrell Daniels, Dylan Cantrell and undrafted rookie Ryan Becker. “He’s been a great mentor,” Kingsbury added.
After six catches and two touchdowns in the team’s final three games of 2019, Arnold is getting attention as a potential breakout player. Kingsbury likes the potential.
“Dan is a guy who’s ascending as a player, we feel like,” he said. “(He) has a great skillset, has a great guy to learn from in Maxx in that room.”
He feels the same way about Daniels, who played mostly in special teams but gives the Cardinals speed and length. Daniels, like Arnold, is a former receiver, although he transitioned to tight end early in his college career at Washington.
“They’re both athletic guys, can really run and stretch the field and are young players that we feel like have big upside, along with Dylan Cantrell,” he said.
Now, expecting big numbers in terms of receptions might lead to disappointment, especially when targets should go primarily to receivers DeAndre Hopkins, Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk, but players like Arnold and Daniels can be big contributors in limited roles.
They might not have a prominent role in the offense, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be important.
The fact the Cardinals made no attempt to add another experienced player to the room in the offseason shows they are comfortable with who they have, considering the role they will have.
The Arizona Cardinals announced a roster move Monday afternoon, adding a familiar face to head coach Kliff Kingsbury. They signed tight end Dylan Cantrell. To make room on the roster for Cantrell, they released cornerback Sojourn Shelton.
Cantrell is a former wide receiver and making the transition this offseason. Listed at 6-3 and 240 pounds, he was drafted in the sixth round in the 2018 draft by the Los Angeles Chargers. He spent time on the active roster and practice squad that year, spent the offseason with the team and then was released after the preseason.
He played collegiately at Texas Tech when Kingsbury was head coach there. He played 46 games (29 starts) at Texas Tech and had 158 receptions for 1,873 yards (11.9-yard avg.) and 18 touchdowns.
He will compete with other tight ends Maxx Williams, Dan Arnold, Darrell Daniels and undrafted rookies Parker Houston and Ryan Becker to make the roster.
