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It is no secret that the New England Patriots need to find a way to improve their tight end position during this year’s offseason: led by Matt LaCosse, Benjamin Watson and Ryan Izzo, the group was unable to consistently produce in the passing game and to provide regular support in the running game in 2019. Year one without future Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski therefore turned into a struggle for the Patriots’ offense.
That being said, numerous quality options project to be available for the team in both free agency and the draft. One of the most experienced players on the open market, however, will likely not find his way to New England: Greg Olsen, who was released by the Carolina Panthers earlier this month. According to a report by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the 34-year-old is expected to sign with one of the three teams he visited following his departure from Carolina.
Accordingly, Olsen will therefore highly likely end up with either the Buffalo Bills, the Seattle Seahawks or the Washington Redskins. New England will consequently have to wait until the beginning of free agency in mid-March before starting to bolster its own tight end position — players such as the Los Angeles Chargers’ Hunter Henry and the Atlanta Falcons’ Austin Hooper project to be high up on the list of potential targets.
Olsen, on the other hand, will continue his career elsewhere. While he certainly would have been a nice veteran addition and mentor for the younger players on the Patriots’ roster, it seems as if the organization wants to go in another direction after not even bringing him in for a free agency visit following his release from the Panthers.