New England Patriots: Breaking Down the Tight End Competition and Depth Chart

July 5, 2013   ·   Sterling Xie   ·   Jump to comments

The New England Patriots' dual tight end attack has certainly left its mark on the NFL.  Teams throughout the league have openly admitted to emulating the Patriots' philosophy of using tight ends to create mismatches over the middle of the field.
Unfortunately, it appears the Patriots themselves will not reap the fruits of their own innovation.  With Aaron Hernandez's well-documented saga, it is wholly unclear how the Patriots plan to utilize their tight ends this season.  Moreover, Rob Gronkowski's injury status further clouds the immediate future, potentially leaving behind just nine receptions from the Pats' 2012 tight end corps.
Shockingly, the tight end position is now the most unstable unit heading into training camp.  Still, that does not mean the position is suddenly devoid of talent or upside, even beyond Gronk.  Here is a look at what each of the team's six current tight ends can bring, and a projection of how the competition might play out....

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