New England Patriots: Could Greg Olsen be a good fit at tight end?
With the Carolina Panthers and Greg Olsen parting ways, here’s why it could make sense for the New England Patriots to sign the veteran tight end in 2020.
Going into the offseason, one area on offense that the New England Patriots might be looking to add talent is at the tight end position. While New England tries to add personnel on the offensive side of the ball to try and lure veteran quarterback and current free agent quarterback Tom Brady back to the Patriots, there’s one interesting name at tight end now on the free-agent market
At the end of January, there were multiple reports that arose surrounding Carolina Panthers veteran tight end Greg Olsen and the two parties contemplating parting ways after nine seasons together.
ESPN reporter Adam Schefter reported shortly after that Olsen and the Panthers were indeed parting ways, ending the 34-year old tight end’s lengthy stint in Carolina. Drew Rosenhaus, who is Olsen’s agent, told Schefter that Olsen was still interested in playing and “will be in communication with other teams after the Super Bowl.”
After Greg Olsen and the Panthers mutually agreed to part ways today, agent Drew Rosenhaus said his TE client “is still interested in playing and I will be in communication with other teams after the Super Bowl.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 30, 2020
Now that the Super Bowl is officially over and done with, it didn’t take long for more news to break surrounding Olsen and some potential landing spots for him going into the 2020 campaign.
On Monday, Shefter once again reported on social media that the veteran tight end reportedly has two teams on the schedule to meet with this week to kick off the offseason, the Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins.
Former Panthers’ TE Greg Olsen will visit the Bills and Redskins this week, per source. Buffalo’s GM Brandon Beane used to be with Carolinas, as did Washington’s HC Ron Rivera.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 3, 2020
As Schefter noted in his tweet, one thing that could draw Olsen to one of those two squads is the fact that Ron Rivera is now the head coach in Washington. Rivera and Olsen spent time together in Carolina before Rivera was also let go by the Panthers following the 2019 season.
Although Olsen is set to meet with the Bills and Redskins this week, could the veteran receiving target be a potential fit in New England with the Patriots? There’s an intriguing thought about Olsen joining Bill Belichick and company in New England, and could be an enticing thing to try and persuade Brady to ultimately returning to the Patriots.
Ever since Rob Gronkowski‘s abrupt retirement following the 2018 season, New England has struggled in finding a replacement at tight end and inserting a target into that role that can make a difference in multiple aspects of the offense.
During the 2019 season this year, the Patriots filled the tight end position with a committee of Matt LaCosse, Ryan Izzo and Ben Watson, with that trio combining for just 36 catches, 418 yards, and three touchdowns during the regular season.
Olsen, who will turn 35 years old in March, finished the 2019 campaign with a total of 52 catches for 597 yards and two touchdowns with the Panthers. The one glaring issue that comes with Olsen is the fact that the tight end struggles to stay on the field with injury issues.
Although health and age are two questions when it comes to Olsen, it still might be worth it for the Patriots to kick the tires on trying to add the veteran tight end into the mix of things offensively this offseason.
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That addition, along with possibly adding a few more down the road before the new year begins, could just be enough to convince Brady that New England is committed to making moves and additions around the future Hall-of-Fame quarterback to try and make yet another run at a Super Bowl in 2020.