On a 2017-18 Patriots team that currently has few question marks, aside from the growing sinkhole that is the defensive end position, one of the biggest TBDs is who the third string tight end will be behind Rob Gronkowski and Dwayne Allen. That, of course, being if New England even elects to employ three tight ends on their 53-man roster. If I had to guess, they will choose to toss a third stringer on there just in case Gronk dares to get seriously injured again (God forbid), but what do I know?
There are four players who are actively competing for the third tight end spot: James O’Shaughnessy, Matt Lengel, Jacob Hollister and Sam Cotton. On a Patriots squad that is filled to the brim with receiving talent of all kinds, one would assume that the third tight end won’t end up being chosen based on their receiving abilities, rather their blocking and/or special teams ability. The spot is wide open and up for grabs, so there’s no telling as of right now who will win over Bill Belichick’s heart before he has to make the final decision.
Out of those four names aforementioned, you probably best know of Matt Lengel. He has the edge here as far as experience goes, except Lengel has yet to play a single preseason snap. Belichick sat out a whopping forty of his players during the first preseason game, but proceeded to go haywire during the second preseason game and let Gronkowski see the preseason field for the first time since 2012 and let Tom Brady play multiple series. So, take that for what it’s worth, I suppose.
Out of the four names, Lengel is undoubtedly the best blocker, that we know of. He most notably caught a touchdown against the Jets in late 2016 as his first career NFL reception and quickly turned heads around New England. Lengel helped the Patriots out massively in the second half of last season when Gronkowski went down due to injury and got the job done as a blocker. He has solid hands, but that won’t help his case nor hurt his case this particular season.
Next up, James O’Shaughnessy, the favorite (right now) to win this third spot. The Patriots recently acquired this guy from Kansas City plus a sixth-round pick in this year’s draft in exchange for a fifth-rounder. O’Shaughnessy was primarily used as a special teamer by the Chiefs and would most likely be used the same here in Foxboro, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to add another weapon to Brady’s stacked arsenal. He has strong hands and is probably the most versatile of this group despite lacking the yards after catch and presiding blocking skill to the height that the others possess.
Jacob Hollister recently won over our hearts in the first preseason game against the Jaguars when he played a Gronk-like role for the Patriots, catching seven passes for 116 yards and making two notable web gem grabs. This kind of foreshadowed him to have a quiet performance in week two, and that he did, totaling just four receiving yards. Hollister is easily the best receiver of this group but isn’t the best blocker, while he is serviceable on special teams. If he has a bounceback final two preseason games, he could seriously compete for a roster spot.
Last but not least, rookie out of Nebraska, Sam Cotton. I really don’t know who this fine young man is, either. Although, Cotton is the best blocker right behind Lengel, which is noteworthy. He is and probably will continue to be slept on as a receiver, but he has terrific hands and can make an impact in both the passing and blocking games. I wouldn’t be surprised if Belichick stashed him on the practice squad to save him for later, yet then again, I also wouldn’t be surprised if we never heard of his kid again. The magic of Bill Belichick.
In summary, realistically, the favorite to become this season’s third string Patriots tight end is James O’Shaughnessy, mainly because of his experience and talent on the special teams unit. Now, there is both enough time and competition to where the script could change in the next two weeks and one of these guys comes out of the woodwork and becomes a fan-favorite within a month but then we don’t see or hear from him ever again. Then again, Belichick could choose to entirely forego filling a valuable roster spot with a third tight end and begin the season with just Rob Gronkowski and Dwayne Allen and pray for the best. Or he could do something in between. For now, we will just have to wait and see.
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