Bill Belichick doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to bring in talent at the tight end position. With Rob Gronkowski considering retirement in 2019, the Patriots pursued Jared Cook in free agency last year. But they missed out on him, and Gronk decided to call it a career.
Since then, the position has been quiet. Very quiet.
Belichick made a fair number of transactions at tight end in 2019. So far in 2020, he’s done nothing. Of course, the new league year is still young — just a week old. Belichick has his eye on the season start time, which (for now) is in September. There’s plenty of time for Belichick to sign, trade for, or draft a tight end. Thus far, he’s made a point of retaining a few pending free agents, with Joe Thuney and Devin McCourty costing the team top dollar. The Patriots coach has also picked out of the NFL’s veteran-minimum wage bracket, with signings at quarterback (Brian Hoyer), linebacker (Brandon Copeland), safety (Adrian Phillips) and fullback (Dan Vitale). They all figure to compete for big roles in 2020.
But the Patriots haven’t even gotten into the small-budget deals with tight ends to this point. New England sat out while Austin Hooper signed with the Cleveland Browns. The Patriots watched Jimmy Graham and Eric Ebron sign. And New England didn’t bother chasing aging veterans Greg Olsen or Jason Witten.
The truth is that you can’t blame them for skipping out on all of those players. Hooper was productive in Atlanta, but can struggle to beat man coverage. Graham, Witten and Olsen’s earnings are based on their name and not their film; their reputation seems to have brought them more cash than their worth. Even Tyler Eifert somehow managed to get a two-year, $15.5 million with the Jaguars this offseason. He has eclipsed 500 yards and/or five touchdowns just once in his career.
Ebron seems like the long missed opportunity — he’s set to earn $12 million over two years. That’s a reasonable price, considering he’s one season separated from 66 catches, 750 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2018. His 2019 production paled in comparison to those totals, but at 26 years old, Ebron could recapture a large portion of his 2018 production.
So who’s still out there? Even if Jordan Reed takes a tiny salary, he may still be a long shot. His injury history may scare away New England. A player like Ricky Seals-Jones seems like a solid target; he has always found a way to rise up the depth chart, no matter the situation. (But of course, his best year was 2018 when he had 34 catches, 343 yards and one TD. He hasn’t gotten that far up the depth chart.)
There are more options in the draft, though there may not be a first-round tight end. Cole Kmet (Notre Dame), Adam Trautman (Dayton), Brycen Hopkins (Purdue), Hunter Bryant (Washington) and Harrison Bryant (Florida Atlantic) are considered the top options. But there is no consensus on which player is the best tight end.
Considering the bust potential for a low-tier free agent or even a high-profile draft pick, there’s a good chance New England has another rough year at the tight end position. Maybe the Patriots swing a big trade for franchise-tagged star Hunter Henry or for oft-injured tight ends Evan Engram or David Njoku. Maybe. But it’s more likely that the team adds players with hopes of developing him into a star. That takes time.
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