5 reasons Patriots can win the Super Bowl this year

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FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – SEPTEMBER 08: Ryan Izzo #85 of the New England Patriots is tackled by Devin Bush #55 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half at Gillette Stadium on September 08, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /

4. More production from the tight end position

He’s back…sort of. A year after retirement, all-time great tight end Rob Gronkowski is back in the NFL and reunited with quarterback Tom Brady. But that duo is now in Tampa. The latter signed there as a free agent and “Gronk” and a seventh-round pick were dealt to Bruce Arians’ club for a fourth-round choice in April (via Nick Shook of NFL.com). It will be fascinating to see if the tandem can recapture their magic in a new setting.

So what about Bill Belichick’s club, which struggled on offense this past year minus the dimension that the five-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro brought to the team. In 2019, Ben Watson, Matt LaCosse, Ryan Izzo and Eric Tomlinson combined for 37 receptions, 419 yards and one score during the regular season. Watson, who has retired once again, went onto catch three passes in the playoff loss to Tennessee.

Meanwhile, LaCosse has opted out for 2020 and Tomlinson is no longer on the roster. Izzo is the biggest mainstay and in April, Belichick selected a pair of tight ends in the third round in Devin Asiasi (UCLA) and Dalton Keene (Virginia Tech). And quarterback Cam Newton made great use of veteran tight end Greg Olsen in Carolina.

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