New England Patriots: 3 Lessons learned from Super Bowl 54
2. New England needs a tight end threat
For really the first time in the last handful of seasons, the New England Patriots didn’t have a dominant or game-changing tight end on the offensive side of the ball following the retirement of Rob Gronkowski after the 2018 season.
The absence of a dominant tight end to pair with quarterback Tom Brady and the rest of the New England offense was a hole that will need to be filled going into the 2020 campaign, and a reason why was on display during the Super Bowl on Sunday.
In the big game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers in Miami, both Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and 49ers tight end George Kittle had big moments in the game and were difference makers both in the Super Bowl and for the entirety of the season for their respective teams.
Specifically in Super Bowl LIV, the two players stepped up during the battle for the NFL title, displaying how having a talented tight end and incorporating that tight end into the passing game on offense can change an offensive unit in a positive way.
Kelce finished with six catches for 43 yards and one touchdown for the Chiefs, averaging 7.2 yards per reception along with tallying six total targets.
Kittle, on the other hand, ended up with 36 total receiving yards with four catches for the 49ers, averaging nine yards a reception with seven targets. He did have a break-out reception right before halftime for San Francisco that would have set the 49ers up for a field goal right before the half, but that play was called back due to offensive pass interference by Kittle.
Ever since Gronkowski‘s abrupt retirement in 2018, 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. This season, 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.
After seeing what took place in the Super Bowl over the weekend and witnessing how having a top-notch tight end target can change the look of the Patriots offense in past years, that should be something New England focuses on during the offseason leading up to the 2020 year.
One name that could possibly make a good fit with the Patriots, among the rest of the eventual free-agent possibilities, could be now former Carolina Panthers eight end Greg Olsen.