Undrafted free agency (UDFA) is every NFL team's third major leg of the offseason stool, including the New England Patriots. While the Pats' drafting and free agency track records are poor, they've had surprising success in UDFA. Center David Andrews, cornerbacks Jonathan Jones and Malcolm Butler, and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers are included. This year may be no different.
Mike Vrabel has aced free agency and the draft; why not keep the ball rolling in UDFA? Bleacher Report has assembled a list of the UDFAs they feel have the best chance to stick on their respective NFL teams' rosters. For the Patriots, it's a player at a position that they neither signed a player in free agency nor drafted one, the tight end.
The Patriots' signee player they selected (although others could be equally touted as great candidates) is CJ Dippre from Alabama. The Patriots needed to add youth at the tight end position in the 2025 offseason, and it looks like Dippre is the guy.
Bleacher Report like Patriots' pick of tight end CJ Dippre as a potential roster fit
The Patriots' tight end room was the team's best unit in 2024. Hunter Henry is under contract, and Austin Hooper was re-signed as the top backup. It's a solid tandem. Behind this duo is Jaheim Bell, a smaller H-back type. They needed to add a tight end in the offseason. They were late in doing so, but they did add UDFA Dippre.
Here's part of what bleacherreport.com had to say about the big Alabama tight end,
"Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper are rock-solid, proven tight ends for the New England Patriots. The room lacks explosive traits, though.
"Jaheim Bell brings speed to the position, but he's undersized and more of an H-back. The undrafted free-agent addition of Alabama's CJ Dippre provides the best of both worlds.
"Dippre is a 6'5", 256-pound target, who has plenty of experience working inline as part of Alabama's system and brings some juice with an 8.72 relative athletic score, per Kent Lee Platte. However, Dippre was never used as a primary target for either the Crimson Tide or during his time with the Maryland Terrapins. He caught 65 passes over four seasons."
Coming from Alabama is never bad for a player entering the NFL. It's a major program in the best conference in the nation, the SEC. That means you line up against the cream of the college crop almost every week of your college career. It's excellent preparation for the NFL
What CJ Dippre will add to the Patriots in 2025
Dippre will likely make the squad as the third tight end. His 2024 stats aren't eye-opening. He had 23 catches for 256 yards and no touchdowns. Those aren't Gronk-esque numbers, but he'll be a big target for Drake Maye when he's on the field nonetheless.
The good news is that Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels likes to use tight-end heavy formations using two and three tight ends. That plays to Dippre's advantage. His top attribute in entering the NFL is his blocking skills. He's a big body who can move linebackers and edge players to open lanes for lightning-quick TreVeyon Henderson to dash through.
Dippre can also motor himself, having run a solid 4.69 forty-yard dash at the combine. He ranked as NFL.com's ninth-rated tight end at the combine and fourth best for athleticism. He's a good athlete, and that will provide opportunities for over-the-middle catches as NFL defenses focus on the Patriots' much-improved wide receiver room.
Here's part of what nfl.com said about Dippre in their Overview of the player,
"Combination tight end who can help here and there as both a blocker and pass catcher. Dippre is a big target underneath and can win contested catches. His play speed appears to be average and he struggles to avoid contact when getting through his route. Dippre was used as a connected blocker and moving lead blocker at Alabama..."
Mike Vrabel waited until UDFA to address the well-down-the-list of needs for a young tight end. He addressed it with UDFA and CJ Dippre. He's a solid addition in pass protection who can also move bodies in the running game. He'll likely be around in September when the 2025 season starts.