Breakout season might mean Patriots moved on from pass catcher too soon

Bill Belichick's free agency spending spree in 2021 generated many opinions regarding who was signed and how much they were paid. It was the first time in many years that the head coach and unofficial general manager had chosen to spend a lot of the available cap space to revamp the team, and in the years since, many of those signed seemed to be the right choice.

Several remain on the team, most notably Kendrick Bourne, Davon Godchaux, and Hunter Henry, while others were deemed busts almost immediately or were eventually traded.

One of the more prominent names who didn't live up to the expectations or hype during their New England tenure was tight end Jonnu Smith. At the time, he was coming off an impressive season with the Titans, and the Patriots desperately needed talented tight ends, as they had struggled to fill the role since Rob Gronkowski left a few years prior.

He was joined by Henry as one of the top-name free agents signed, and the former Charger became the go-to tight end for every quarterback who lined up under center as Smith continued to struggle to be fully integrated into the offense.

Because things never seemed to click for him with the Patriots, he was traded in 2023 to the Falcons and has since joined the Dolphins this season. He is on pace to have the best season of his career after accomplishing that in Atlanta, making the decision to move on from him a bit more questionable for the Patriots.

Jonnu Smith is seemingly in his prime since leaving the Patriots last year

Despite the chaos the Dolphins have dealt with this season, especially offensively, Smith has become a consistently productive pass catcher within that offense, even with guys like Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle in the lineup. He has proven to be an excellent addition to an already powerful offense and is on pace to beat his best season to date.

So far in 2024, Smith has recorded 48/63 receptions for 535 yards and four touchdowns. That is already more productive and better statistics than the two years he spent in Foxboro when he totaled just 55/83 receptions for 539 yards and one touchdown.

He is seemingly back to the player he appeared to be in Tennessee, if not better than he has ever been during his NFL career. Considering the Patriots have not found a solid tight end over the years other than Henry, it would have been nice to have that kind of production from Smith when he was on the team.

The problem was that the offensive coordinators didn't seem to understand how to utilize him, and, of course, during the opportunities Smith did have, he didn't always perform.

Regardless, it looks like they may have chosen to move on from him a bit too early. Perhaps he didn't fit an offense run under Belichick, and he would have thrived more with the new regime. He would be a solid addition to Drake Maye's offense, even if Henry and Austin Hooper have been reliable for the rookie so far this season.

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