According to an official statement released by the NFC South franchise on Monday morning, the Atlanta Falcons have agreed to trade soon-to-be third-year tight end Eric Saubert to the New England Patriots. In exchange for Saubert's services, the Patriots were reportedly forced to send a conditional seventh-round NFL Draft pick back to the Falcons, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.
However, it is also worth noting that Saubert's play and ability were not the reasons for which the Falcons ultimately decided to part ways with the up-and-coming pass catcher. As it stands today, the Falcons have an uber crowded tight end room, a group that features the likes of Austin Hooper, Logan Paulsen, Luke Stocker, Jaeden Graham, and Alex Gray — the first three of which are already proven NFL-caliber tight ends.
On the other hand, the Patriots are obviously lacking in the department as future Hall of Fame tight end Rob Gronkowski officially called it a career after New England won yet another Super Bowl last season. Although the heralded Patriots quickly found a suitable replacement for Gronkowski earlier in the offseason, newly-signed tight end Benjamin Watson, who notably came out of a brief retirement of his own en route to joining New England, was suspended for the first four games of the 2019 regular season upon testing positive for testosterone.
Because Gronkowski is now out of the picture and Watson will remain on the sideline until at least Week 5 of the 2019 season, could Saubert receive a chance to make an impact for the Patriots? As always with longtime Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, the answer is yes.
There is no better team in the league at maximizing the talent already on their roster like the Patriots. Belichick has become a guru of sorts when it comes to getting the most out of players that may have not succeeded elsewhere or that were not previously given a fair shot at legitimate playing time. Because of the Patriots' lack of depth at the tight end position at the moment, there is a slim chance that New England went out of its way to acquire Saubert if Belichick did not plan on utilizing his skill set going forward.
However, the amount of playing time in which Saubert ultimately receives during both the preseason and early portion of the 2019 regular season remains to be seen. Nonetheless, one thing is for certain, Saubert has both the size and ability to become a formidable force for the Patriots.
The 25-year-old Saubert stands at 6-foot-5 while weighing just over 250 pounds. Thanks to his size and strength, Saubert can not only add value as a pass catcher, but also as a blocker via the rushing attack. As it stands today, New England houses Stephen Anderson, Andrew Beck, Ryan Izzo, Lance Kendricks, Matt LaCosse, and the aforementioned Watson at the tight end position as the famed AFC East franchise can currently use all the help that it can get.
Saubert was notably a four-year starter at Drake during his collegiate playing days as the now former Falcons tight end produced 190 receptions for 2,253 yards and 21 touchdowns before making the leap to the NFL ranks. Selected as a first-team all-conference player in addition to receiving All-American honors in both 2015 and 2016, the Patriots' newcomer tallied 111 catches for 1,356 yards and 17 touchdowns across his junior and senior seasons at Drake.
Following his impressive four-year collegiate stint at Drake, he was then selected by the Falcons in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft en route to earning playing time in all 16 regular season games for the NFC South franchise last season. He also made one start in what would ultimately become his last go-round in Atlanta.
During that same span, Saubert posted a single-season career-high five receptions for 48 yards and 9.6 yards per catch in 2018.
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