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The New England Patriots struggled on the offensive side of the ball in 2019, and this offseason will be used to fix the issues they have. In a prediction piece for ESPN, Mike Reiss believes that New England will make a ‘hard push' to upgrade the tight end position this offseason.
Prior to the 2019 season, Rob Gronkowski announced his retirement from the NFL after spending nine seasons with the Patriots. Gronkowski's retirement left a sizable void in New England's offense.
The Patriots attempted to move forward without replacing him with another viable tight end. Instead, Benjamin Watson, Ryan Izzo, and Matt LaCosse spent time starting at tight end. Seeing that the offense failed to be effective without Gronkowski, the Patriots know they have to address the position in free agency.
Of course, New England is waiting to see what Tom Brady decides to do this offseason. Brady is an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career. While he could return to Foxborough, he could choose to end his career elsewhere.
However, regardless of where Brady suits up in 2020, the Patriots have to add some weapons on offense. Luckily for them, there are a couple of options that could be available for them in free agency.
Among them, Austin Hooper and Hunter Henry will be the two most prominent options at tight end. Both Hooper and Henry had career years for the Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Chargers, respectively, in 2019.
If this year's Super Bowl showed us anything, it's that having a Pro-Bowl caliber tight end can vastly change the scope of an offense. The Patriots also know firsthand—when they had Gronkowski—a tight end can make things easier on a quarterback.
