3 options for Patriots at tight end after they release Seferian-Jenkins
By Kevin Scott
Without Rob Gronkowski and having cut Austin Seferian-Jenkins, here are 3 options at tight end for the Patriots.
Not only did the Patriots lose one of the greatest tight ends in history when Rob Gronkowski retired, but their attempts to fill that hole continue to go awry. First, Ben Watson announced he had taken testosterone on a doctor’s recommendation, thinking he was staying retired, and had thus received a 4-game suspension.
Now Austin Seferian-Jenkins has reportedly been cut:
The #Patriots are cutting TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins, source said. He’s taking a step away for a month for personal issues and the team will release him as he does that. We’ll see if he comes back to New England or anywhere.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 4, 2019
Rapoport’s tweet seems to suggest that the move was actually initiated by Seferian-Jenkins, who wanted to take a month away for personal reasons. The Patriots’ response was to go ahead and cut him. A similar move was made by Josh Gordon, incidentally also employed by the Patriots, when he decided to step away from the team last season. The Patriots did not cut Gordon, but apparently decided they could not wait around for Seferian-Jenkins.
Now they are back in a bind, with a desperate need at tight end. They will have Watson back after the first four games, but he is 38 years old and does not seem to have much left in the tank. Bill Belichick may be wishing he had done whatever it took to beat the New Orleans Saints in the bidding for Jared Cook.
What’s done is done, so let’s consider three options the Patriots could still pursue at tight end to plug this hole in the roster.