New England Patriots are Loaded with Tight End Options

By Dan Schmelzer | Jun 3, 2015

Simply put, the New England Patriots have an incredible tight end situation. Obviously, 2014 unanimous First-Team All-Pro selection Rob Gronkowski has a lot to do with that. Gronkowski is one of the biggest match-up nightmares in the entire NFL as a receiver, and is a great blocker at the tight end position. Assuming health, Gronkowski is one of the most dominant players at any position in the league.

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On top of having the best tight end in the league, the Patriots also have great depth at the position. Both Michael Hoomanawanui and Tim Wright return this season to help compliment Gronkowski. Hoomanawanui is not much of a receiving threat (only nine receptions for 97 yards throughout the entire regular season and playoffs last season), but his blocking skills are incredible.

Hoomanawanui will never be a huge option for the Patriots in the passing game, but his skills as both a run blocker and pass protector will allow him to continue to have an impact.

Wright is a less-traditional “move” tight end who has nice physical skills as a receiver. He became a nice red zone option for Tom Brady and the Patriots last season, totaling six receiving touchdowns on only 26 catches and 259 yards. Wright has nice size (6-foot-4, 220 pounds), speed and quickness for the tight end position, which allows him to be a tough match-up for opposing linebackers as a receiver.

Nov 2, 2014; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots tight end Michael Hoomanawanui (47) runs downfield during the fourth quarter of New England’s 43-21 win over the Denver Broncos at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Between Gronkowski, Hoomanawanui and Wright, the Patriots were already sitting good at the position entering this off season. That however, did not hold them back from adding even more talent to the mix.

Most notably, the Patriots signed Scott Chandler early in the free agent period. Chandler, who stands at a massive 6-foot-7, 270 pounds, has been a productive tight end for the Buffalo Bills the past four years.

Chandler burst onto the scene with back-to-back six touchdown seasons with the Bills in 2011 and 2012. He set a career high in receptions (53) and receiving yards (655) in 2013, before capping off his Bills’ career with 47 receptions, 497 yards and three touchdowns last season.

Chandler is not an athletic freak like Gronkowski, but he is a big and physical player who uses his size very well as both a receiver and blocker. He certainly has a chance to make an impact with the Patriots this season, and some sort of “Twin Towers” combination with him and Gronkowski on the field at the same time could prove to be incredibly difficult to defend.

Oct 26, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Buffalo Bills tight end Scott Chandler (84) catches the ball to score a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. The Bills won 43-23. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Patriots also dug into the tight end bargain bin this off season, and brought up former Washington Redskins’ second round pick Fred Davis, who was suspended for the entire 2014 season for his second violation of the league’s substance abuse policy.

Davis’ career has kind of un-raveled in recent years. Between the suspension and many injuries, Davis has only played in 17 total games the last three seasons. His best year came in 2011 when he set a career high in receptions (59) and receiving yards (796), while only playing in 12 games that season.

Davis’ skill-set is similar to Wright, where he is not much of a blocker, but he has some speed and nice overall receiving skills. With so little time on the field in recent years, it is incredibly difficult to predict how Davis will look. With so much depth at the position, his chances of actually making the roster is probably extremely slim, but there is certainly upside here.

Despite their extreme depth at tight end, the Patriots added another one to the mix when they took A.J. Derby in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. Derby is a converted quarterback who started his college career at the University of Iowa.

Derby left Iowa after the 2011 season, spent a year as a JUCO quarterback, before landing at the University of Arkansas in 2013. He saw very limited time as the back-up quarterback for the Razorbacks that season, and the coaching staff approached him about a position change for his last college season.

Derby was open to the change to tight end, and it ended up being a very good move for his career. He showed very good athleticism and natural receiving skills in his one year as a tight end, bringing in 22 receptions for 303 yards and three touchdowns.

With a very nice combination of size (6-foot-5, 255 pounds), speed and athleticism, Derby has some nice upside going forward. He certainly still has to learn the finer points of the position, but the Patriots very well could have found a diamond in the rough here. 2015 will likely be a developmental year for Derby, but he could certainly have a nice future with the team.

Oct 11, 2014; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks tight end AJ Derby (11) gets past Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back

Geno Smith

(24) to score a touchdown during the second half of a game at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Alabama defeated Arkansas 14-13. Mandatory Credit: Beth Hall-USA TODAY Sports

So by my count, the Patriots have six legitimately talented players at the tight end position. NFL teams typically carry no more than four tight ends on the regular season roster, and even that is a bit of a stretch. All six of these guys simply will not seeing playing time with the Patriots in 2015.

It will be very interesting to see who the Patriots decide to move forward with at the position, and how they get as many of these players involved as possible. The team has a recent history of success at using multiple tight ends in their system, and with so many options on the roster, I fully expect that to continue this season.

The tight end position can be very difficult to defend, and having so many players with exciting skill-sets at the position opens up endless opportunities for the Patriots’ offense going forward.

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