New England Patriots still need to add a veteran tight end to roster

The New England Patriots did the right thing in drafting two young tight end prospects. Now they need to do the right thing and add a veteran presence.

In case you hadn’t heard, inexperienced quarterbacks really, really love their tight ends.

Next to a capable offensive line protecting you from the front, there’s really nothing better if you’re a young QB than a safety valve you can dump passes off to underneath when plays break down.

Wide receivers may struggle to create separation and running backs may fail to get out in the flat and open, but tight ends are traditionally excellent options as they stay close to the line of scrimmage and usually have the necessary strength to shed their blockers right away.

The New England Patriots currently have four tight ends on their roster: Matt LaCosse, Ryan Izzo, Devin Asiasi, and Dalton Keene. Of those four, two are rookies (Asiasi and Keene) taken in last April’s NFL Draft, and two are the “veterans” (LaCosse and Izzo).

LaCosse came into the league in 2015 and Izzo came in as a seventh-round pick of the Patriots in 2018. LaCosse previously had stops with the Broncos, Jets, and the Giants twice. Izzo has spent his whole career in New England.

And yet, LaCosse has made appearances in only 31 regular season games total over the span of five seasons as a pro. Izzo didn’t play at all as a rookie and “starred” in just six regular season games last year.

All told, LaCosse has 40 career receptions on 60 targets for 403 yards and two touchdowns. Izzo has six career receptions on nine targets for 114 yards and a touchdown.

Neither one of these players offers a ton of upside. Both had plenty of opportunities last season to rise up and make an impact in the wake of Rob Gronkowski’s surprise retirement in March 2019, and yet neither could muster up much production whatsoever (the same could be said of Ben Watson as well, New England’s third tight end last year).

Similarly, neither LaCosse nor Izzo really has much to offer by way of “mentoring” Asiasi and Keene. If either player had accomplished more during their NFL tenures, maybe they’d be able to give the two young guns some tips or tricks, but there’s nothing they can really share other than the experience of riding the pine on the sideline.

So if LaCosse and Izzo can’t teach Asiasi and Keene, what good are they? With respect to both players, they couldn’t make an impact with Tom Brady in at quarterback. What’s to say things will be any different now that Jarrett Stidham is out there under center?

A veteran TE could provide mentorship in addition to being a “safety valve”

Stidham needs a polished, experienced tight end out there helping him make the transition from rookie backup quarterback to second-year starter — someone like Delanie Walker, Jordan Reed, Ed Dickson, or Charles Clay.

This isn’t to say that any of those guys are surefire quality starting tight ends in the NFL — all either have age concerns, injury concerns, or both.

But the one thing they all have in spades is experience. There’s no denying that Walker, Reed, Dickson, or Clay could serve as a valuable mentor to Asiasi and Keene while simultaneously providing Stidham with a more reliable security blanket than LaCosse or Izzo.

There’s no great rush to sign any of these guys — they’ve all been available for quite some time now, and they’re sure to be around for a while longer. The Patriots can afford to wait until we get more clarity on the pandemic and how it will affect the remainder of the offseason (let alone the actual season itself).

But when push comes to shove, New England really should consider dumping one of their two “veteran” tight ends (or both) and signing one of the above players — for the sake of Stidham as well as their two rookie TE prospects.