Patriots: Matt LaCosse opting out just made TE decision easier for Belichick

Matt LaCosse just became the eighth Patriots player to opt out of the 2020 season. Your move, Bill Belichick.

If the Patriots had any designs of emphasizing a tight end who’d been in their system prior to the 2020 draft, they just went out the window on Sunday.

Matt LaCosse, who hardly grabbed starting TE duties by the reins in 2019, only seeing 19 targets in 11 games, has chosen not to play in 2020, becoming the eighth Patriot to dismantle Bill Belichick’s master plan.

This time around, though, LaCosse leaving will only make things easier for the Hoodie.

It goes without saying, but LaCosse’s familiarity with the system was unlikely to lead to him seizing starting duties in 2020. His demand for snaps would only have further gummed up the tight end picture.

After all, LaCosse had already been rendered fairly clearly irrelevant by Belichick’s Day 2 selections of Virginia Tech’s Dalton Keene and UCLA’s Devin Asiasi, both of whom had clear and emergent roles on Draft Day.

As the offseason evolved, Asiasi became the favorite to be the immediate starter, while Keene’s blocking ability assured that he would absorb some snaps sacrificed by FB Dan Vitale, who also opted out of the season this past week. He’ll be essential in the Patriots’ running game, and Asiasi just became Cam Newton’s clear-cut security blanket. Another “tough decision” that’s now been rendered inevitable for Bill Belichick.

This offseason’s been dominated by tight end rumors, even after Asiasi and Keene were added to the picture.

When Rob Gronkowski returned to action and demanded to be shipped off to Tampa, OJ Howard’s name surfaced as a potential game-breaker in New England. Ditto with David Njoku and the Browns, after the promising TE demanded out of Cleveland.

In recent days, though, Njoku has reaffirmed his commitment to the Browns, and the Howard pipeline appears to have run dry days after the rumors arose — Gronk’s arrival cost TB quite a bit less than a stellar young TE.

Patriots: Here’s Why Devin Asiasi Will Likely Be New England’s Starting TE

New England Patriots rookie Devin Asiasi will likely become the team's starting tight end in 2020 despite Bill Belichick drafting Dalton Keene as well.

Perhaps midseason, a Cam Newton favorite like Greg Olsen becomes available, and the equation changes. For now, though, New England’s rookie tight ends have been anointed just a few weeks ahead of schedule, when it would’ve happened anyway.

Bill Belichick’s plan here came to fruition without him even needing to press a slightly difficult button.