Okay you lovely lot, so, with the signing of the tight end Anthony Firkser and the lack of the Patriots drafting any tight endage I thought it was prime time to have a bit of a deep dive and get us all up to date with what we are looking at, at the tight end, end of the Patriots roster.
The Patriots managed to send Jonnu Smith to Atlanta for a 7th round draft pick in 2023, number 245, which the Patriots in turn used for the corner back Isaiah Bolden. Smith is an athletic tight end who just didn’t fit into the Patriots system for one reason or another. Over the course of two years in New England he played 30 games with a total of 83 targets, 20 carries and 1 touchdown.
The second signing the Patriots made during that 2021 free agency season was Hunter Henry from the LA Chargers. A bit of an injury history plagued Hunter, but his first season with the Patriots was a productive one and his connection with rookie quarterback Mac Jones clearly evident. Playing 17 games Hunter was targeted 75 times for 9 touchdowns. Unfortunately, with the way the Patriots offence was run in 2022, Hunter wasn’t utilised as much with just 59 targets for 2 touchdowns.
Predominantly through the 2022 season the Patriots practice squad held the bodies of Matt Sokol and Scotty Washington.
Washington was picked up by the Patriots in September 2022 after being released from Cincinnati and only played a single game. Ironically his debut was against the Bengals in week 16 after which he was placed on the practice squad injury reserve.
The pick up of undrafted rookie Johnny Lumpkin out of Louisiana may mean Washington isn’t even headed back to the practice squad in Gillette, but time will tell. A long limbed tight end with good blocking ability and a reasonable nimbleness for his 6’6” size, Lumpkin is definitely a potential for the practice squad and even a future roster spot if he develops well.
Matt Sokol made a little bit more of an impact than Washington. Spending most of his time on the practice squad, Sokol was elevated for three games during the 2022 regular season. His blocking abilities were leaned upon against the Lions week 5, the Dolphins week 17 and the Bills week 18.
An undrafted rookie in 2019 Sokol has bounced around more practice squads than I have Patriots apparel. Starting his career with the LA Chargers, Sokol hopped on and off their practice squad until he headed to Detroit. After a small stint there, he headed back to LA and played 2 games before shipping off to Jacksonville. With a small detour back to Detroit, Matt found his place in New England in November 2022. Definitely a candidate for the 2023 practice squad but this traveller could just as easily be heading to another location.
Now, you all know about the signing of Mike Gesicki and I KNOW you know how excited I am to see him in a Patriots uniform, the season simply cannot come quick enough for me!
An athletic tight end, Gesicki uses his length well, and at 6’6” he definitely has plenty! The change in coaching staff at Miami, and the incoming of some excellent receivers saw Gesicki’s usage on the Dolphins take a slide, and I for one couldn’t be happier. A great deep threat with YAC abilities, Gesicki has the height and athletic ability to win contested catches, and I predict him dominating the end zone for New England. (Check out episode 65 of A Clare Perspective, a Patriots podcast for a particular sandwich bet I have with my lovely assistant on this.)
Finally, the most recent signing, the aforementioned Anthony Firkser. And whilst I can’t seem to pronounce Firkser very well, this signing has given me a little fizzle of interest!
Firkser has been in the NFL for five seasons, playing four for the Titans and the 2022 season for the Atlanta Falcons. His career stats come in at 69 games played, 115 receptions, 1207 yards and 5 touchdowns.
At 28, this 6 foot 2, 241 pound tight end also has the ability to play fullback which is a position the Patriots may not utilise under Bill O’Brien, but didn’t even have the option to, prior to the signing. So, this may be that blocking, TE3!
So there you have it folks, my tight end wrap up! I hope you enjoyed reading it, and have a fabulous holiday weekend too!
Gesicki should help, but he is a liability in the run game because he is a poor blocker. That is the primary reason his playing time diminished in Miami last season. Our running game isn’t going to get any help from him. When he’s in, the opponent will know it’s a pass play. Hopefully, with O’Brien back as OC this won’t be too much of a hindrance.