Patriots add tight end depth, sign Clay Harbor

The New England Patriots continued to milk the free agent market for all it’s worth on Wednesday, signing veteran tight end Clay Habor. ESPN’s Adam Caplan was the first to break the news:

Now, the Patriots are stacked at tight end. No, Harbor is not star, but he is a solid, dependable veteran. In fact, Bill Belichick went so far as to compare him to Oakland Raiders full back Marcel Reece last September before playing Harbor and the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3:

"He’s a fullback, tight end kind of guy, sort of lines up in a lot of different places."

Over the course of the 2014 and 2015 seasons, Harbor started 15 games and caught 50 balls for the Jaguars. His playing time in 2014 took a dip thanks to the resurgence of Marcedes Lewis and the addition of Julius Thomas into the offense, as well as the ascendance of sophomore wideouts Allen Hurns and Allen Robinson.

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Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett undoubtedly occupy the top two spots on the tight end depth chart, leaving Harbor to compete with returners Michael Williams and A.J. Derby. It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out in training camp, as you can expect the Patriots to add at least one more tight end in the draft or post-draft.

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Harbor’s best days came with the Philadelphia Eagles. Here’s a highlight reel of Harbor’s 2012 and 2013 seasons.

In signing Harbor, the Patriots are continuing an offense of thrift store shopping the free agent market. Don’t expect all of these veterans to make the final roster; rather, expect a heated training camp, one which will be a battle between youth and experience in many scenarios.

Next: Reordering WR depth chart after Washington signing

Stay tuned here on Musket Fire for coverage on every twist and turn in the Patriots’ offseason.