The rumor mills are heating up and Chicago Bears tight end Greg Olsen is rumored to want out of town. With Mike Martz being hired as the new OC in Chicago and his lack of use of the tight end, Olsen is looking to take his play-making ability elsewhere. Despite it not really showing up in the Musket Fire poll, TE is a major need for the Patriots. Ben Watson is likely going elsewhere through free agency, which leaves only Chris Baker, Robbie Agnone (huh?), and Rob Myers (who?) on the roster. Hardly a crew you would feel comfortable heading into Week One with. Would a Greg Olsen trade make sense?
Actually, this is one of the few trade scenarios that seems plausible. The word is that the Bears are looking for a second-round pick, and the Pats have three. If they planned on drafting a TE, even one early, why pick someone that you don’t know for sure will play at a high level in the NFL? Olsen has shown play-making ability despite playing with lackluster quarterbacks. The Patriots will also likely be without Wes Welker to start the season and will be lacking a reliable target in the middle of the field, and Olsen would fill that role well. His blocking ability isn’t the greatest, but that’s what Chris Baker is for. Neither Daniel Graham nor Ben Watson have worked out to be great pass-catching tight ends, and the Pats haven’t had one since Ben Coates.
The Patriots would also be able to vary the predictable offense more, bringing back tight end screens with a player that could turn them into a big play. He could also take some pressure off of Randy Moss and any other receiver the Pats could sign or draft (check back tomorrow for the WR free agency preview). I think this trade would make complete sense and with the Bears and Patriots being familiar trade partners, I can definitely see this happening. It will be interesting to see what unfolds here over the next few weeks.
Jamie has been a lifelong Patriots fan. He entered the blogging world in 2007 through the now-defunct "Patriot Act." He joined FanSided late in the 2009 NFL season and has been with Musket Fire ever since.
Outside of the blogosphere, Jamie is a science teacher at Durfee High School in Fall River, MA.
Loading ...
Call to the Pen
FanSided
NFL Mocks
BuffaLowDown
Naptown's Finest
Phin Phanatic
The Jet Press
[...] Boomer from FanSided’s “Bear Goggles On” is reporting that there are possibly some talks between the Bears and the Patriots about a trade for at least one of the Patriots’ three second-round picks. The Bears would like to move into the second round (they don’t have any second-round pics) and GM Jerry Angelo and Bill Belichick have been frequent trade partners in the past. With the Patriots needing a tight end and questions in Chicago about Greg Olsen’s fit in Mike Martz’s scheme, a swap could indeed be in the preliminary stages. With the value of second-round picks being high, especially in this draft with plenty of first-round talent available in round 2, the Pats could likely get something in addition to Olsen. The Pats are without a third-round pick, so depending on which of the three number two’s Chicago gets, the Bears’ third-round pick could get packaged in. Other possibilities being discussed in the article’s comments section is the inclusion of one of the Bears’ several quality linebackers, as they have plenty of depth at the position while the Pats do not. You may recall that a possible Olsen-to-New England trade was discussed just a couple of months ago. [...]