The New England Patriots' search for a tight end has not gone very well this offseason, and now, one of their top candidates to replace Rob Gronkowski is injured.
According to Jim McBride of The Boston Globe, tight end Matt LaCosse is dealing with a sprained ankle and will not play in the Patriots' preseason game against the Tennessee Titans on Saturday. There is speculation that it's a high ankle sprain, which is more severe.
LaCosse has been seen as the frontunner to slot in as New England's starting tight end in Week 1 of the regular season, as free-agent addition Ben Watson was suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the league's performance-enhancing drugs policy.
The Pats also have Stephen Anderson in the mix for the job, and on Monday, they swung a trade with the Atlanta Falcons for Eric Saubert.
Basically, the Patriots don't exactly have a clear replacement for Gronkowski, as even though LaCosse is the favorite, he has logged a total of 27 catches since entering the league in 2015.
LaCosse, who played his collegiate football at the University of Illinois, went undrafted and eventually landed with the New York Giants, where he totaled three receptions for 22 yards during his rookie campaign in 2015.
He spent 2016 on the injured reserve list, and after playing in three contests with the Giants in 2017, he was signed off of their practice squad by the Denver Broncos that November.
LaCosse actually participated in 15 games with the Broncos in 2018, snaring 24 balls for 250 yards and a touchdown.
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