Last week, the New England Patriots released tight end Tim Wright in a surprise roster move. Wright had been acquired from the Buccaneers, along with a 4th round pick that turned into defensive end Trey Flowers, in exchange for all time great guard Logan Mankins.
Wright lasted just one season, but with such a deep roster of tight ends available, it wasn't overly likely that Wright was going to make the final cut. But with the long offseason ahead, it didn't really make sense to cut him so early on. What if a tight end gets injured? It would seem that there would be something more behind the scenes that led to his release.
The Buccaneers, with the top waiver claim, scooped up Wright to bring him home, and so the latest news from ESPN's Field Yates adds some more context.
Source: 10 total teams put a waiver claim in on TE Tim Wright. TB, NYJ, CHI, ATL, CLE, NO, MIA, KC, PIT, DET. Bucs had 1st priority.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) June 15, 2015
Ten teams were interested in Wright, and the Patriots couldn't find a future late round pick as interest? Belichick has a personal relationship with the Buccaneers, Falcons, Saints, and Chiefs leadership groups, so it seems strange that he wasn't able to finagle a draft pick from an old friend way down the waiver board.
Wright will step into a surprisingly strong skill group on the Buccaneers, alongside Vincent Jackson, Mike Evans, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, and whatever three-tool running back (probably not Doug Martin) wins the starting spot. Hopefully the Patriots don't lose any tight ends to injury.