The significant amount of tight end talent that hit free agency was eye-watering and rather bittersweet if you are a tight end enthusiast whose team isn’t going to target tight endage in free agency. But that’s okay, Hunter Henry is special enough for me.
But I digress. With the franchise tag of David Njoku, the Browns are set to put down just over $10 million for him in 2022, so there’s one off the list.
But the total available tight endage is still significant with some epic strength and ability. Did someone say Rob Gronkowski?
Now, Rob may be utilising the gymnasium equipment at the Tampa Bay facility, but he is still currently set to be a free agent. Not only that, there is a second name belonging to the Bucs on the list in O.J Howard, and the Bucs saved their franchise tag for wide receiver Chris Godwin, whilst a lot are wondering who will be throwing to him…
Tampa Bay aren’t the only team that may need to double dip when it comes to drafting or signing some nice tight endage.
The Tennessee Titans let their two tight ends hit free agency in Anthony Frisker and Geoff Swaim, as well as the Miami Dolphins Durham Smythe and for a time their elite guy, Mike Gesicki was atop of the free agency tight end list until he was tagged yesterday. The Colts are two guys down also with Jack Doyle announcing his retirement, and Mo Alie-Cox a free agent as I write this.
As the list goes on, obviously the teams with available spots do too. Very familiar household tight end names such as Schultz from the Cowboys, Ertz from the Cardinals and Engram from the Giants were all in the mix. Poor Kyle Pitts may end up being THE Atlanta offense, but that’s a different topic entirely.
Surprising to some, the Cowboys tagged a favourite target of Dak Prescott in Dalton Schultz. With just under an $11 million hit on the cap, I can see why many were surprised, not only that but the Cowboys are presently well over the relevant cap limit for this year. Some renegotiating of current players deals will probably sort all that out, and when you have a decent quarterback to work around, you do the best you can to keep his top talent within reach.
Most of this is much of a muchness if you’re a Patriots fan of course. With the price tags on Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith last year, you wouldn’t think Coach Bill is interested. However, this list, and available spots, could have a reverse impact on the Patriots.
I’m one of those people who wasn’t all in on Jonnu Smith, but has no issue with him remaining in New England, and increasing his production in year two.
Some fans would be happy to trade him away, there’s always the fact that his lacklustre 2021 stats might not make him a great sell, but you never know.
The possibility of something else intrigues me much more than the slim possibility of Smith not being a Patriot for the 2022 season, and that is Devin Asiasi.
If you’re interested in my work, you will have seen/heard/read my pondering over this tight end for, well, two years now. Multiple reasons have eaten into why we haven’t seen much out of Asiasi, but at the end of the day, on paper he is a young tight end, would go for quite cheap money, and may still be developing, so easily fittable into the right program… possibly?
Another name of a tight end Patriots fans haven’t heard much of when it comes to games, is Dalton Keene. A bit more of a H-back kind of versatile guy, he may hold a skill set the Patriots could need in a couple of years, but by then he will be working towards the end of his rookie draft deal, and didn’t really play within his first two with the team. August 2021 saw him under go season ending surgery to repair a meniscus injury and so, like Asiasi, 2022 may be show or go time.
And so, with the franchise tag window closed, the clock ticks down to the legal tampering period, free agency, the draft, and all that jazz. We await the outcome of where these guys may end up. Okay… just me then?
Stay tuned for more tight end reporting as I keep an eye on free agency availability and collate my combine notes!
Thanks for the OJ Howard reminder! IIRC, he’s a decent inline blocker & (potentially) a good receiving tgt whose chances have been limited by injuries & the very existence of Gronk. Seems like he could be cheap insurance for the Pats if Jonnu ultimately can’t “get with the program”.