New England Patriots tight end Michael Hoomanawanui (47) warms up before the start of the game against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
One of the New England Patriots biggest needs this offseason is at the tight end position, as they are expected to add a pass-catching tight end in order to form a top-notch twin-TE attack with superstar starter Rob Gronkowski. This would allow the Patriots to go back to the dominant sets that Gronk and Aaron Hernandez once used in tandem, and a favorite scenario has the Patriots drafting Texas Tech’s Jace Amaro with the 29th overall pick.
Today, the Patriots re-signed one of their own tight ends this season in order to keep a stable, veteran blocker around, as the National Football Post’s Aaron Wilson reports that the Patriots are re-signing Michael Hoomanawanui to a two-year deal. Financial terms of the deal have not been released, but the Pats backup TE will likely receive a very low amount of money. Even though he was very good in 2012, Hooman was forced to take a paycut in training camp in order to even make the 53-man roster, and there’s no doubt in my mind that he was much worse in 2013. In fact, the normally reliable blocker struggled last season, but there’s plenty of hope that the 25-year-old Illinois product can bounce-back next year.
The Patriots are still very much expected to be in the market for a top pass-catching No. 2 TE, as Hooman is just blocking depth at this point. I mean, he has just 17 receptions in the past two years combined.