Patriots: 5 players who will enter training camp on roster bubble

Matt LaCosse

Somehow, despite the absence of Gronkowski and Allen last season, the Patriots tight end position group really managed to make themselves look ineffective and obsolete.

Matt LaCosse played in 11 games all year — one more than fellow TE Ben Watson and five more than Izzo — and yet he failed to make his presence felt in the stat-lines during any of those games. He finished the year with just 13 catches — or an average of 1.18 receptions per game.

Frankly, that’s not going to cut it in a New England Patriots offense. While no one expected LaCosse, Izzo, Watson, or even a combination of the three to replace the kind of talent and production a guy like Gronkowski brings to the table, the hope was that at the very least they’d be able to help move the chains and provide Tom Brady with some reliable hands.

Since LaCosse could not do that in 2019 with Brady at the helm, it stands to reason he might not fare much better in 2020 with Jarrett Stidham or Brian Hoyer under center. And as is the case with Izzo, LaCosse now also needs to fend off Asiasi and Keene this summer, too.