Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Tight End/Trade Talk Thursday: New England Patriots - 3/12/2020

Episode Date: March 12, 2020

With the NFL League year set to begin in less than one week, host Mike D’Abate addresses the latest chatter regarding free agent targets at the tight end position; as well as potential trade targets. Mike also addresses the affect of Covid-19 (a.k.a Coronavirus) on the sports landscape.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Patriots fans, you are now locked in to the Locked On Patriots Podcast. I'm going to show you how to make a beautiful and beautiful flower. I'm going to use a small flower pot. I'm going to use a small pot Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. You are listening to the Locked On Patriots podcast, your daily home for news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots.

My name is Mike DeBate, your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast, which of course is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And because it's your team every day, that means your questions, your comments, your feedback, always welcomed, very much encouraged. You can send those in by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC. And while you're out there roaming around on that Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account at LO underscore Patriots. And yes, Patriots fans, Locked On Patriots got a little bit of a different kickoff today.

Yeah, that new introduction that I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, well, it's finally here. That's right, folks. The Locked On Patriots podcast now has some new theme music. And that's just the start of some exciting new additions and upgrades that are coming your way shortly. And they're all designed to help improve your listening experience. I know I've said it so many times before, but I can't say it enough. Each and every one of you that take the time out of your day to make Locked On Patriots a part of your daily Patriots coverage is something that humbles me and I'm so honored

by it. I appreciate you staying locked into Locked On Patriots more than words can say, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of the support that you've shown me thus far, and I look forward to remaining right there with you in what we hope will be a great season coming up in 2020 for your New England Patriots. But folks, because it's Thursday and you know I love my alliteration, I thought we'd make the prevailing theme of today's show a little tight end and trade talk Thursday. That's right, a couple of significant names in the tight end market have been making the rounds around social media.

And I will be letting you know whether either, neither, or both are a good fit here in New England. And of course, what would Thursday be without a little trade talk? For a little over a week now, we've heard that the Patriots have been working the wires, trying to identify potential trade partners to bring in players that would significantly upgrade the roster, primarily at the offensive skill positions. Well, as so many of my colleagues in the media do, I have my list, and we'll play a little thumbs up, thumbs down to close out today's show. But before we get into talking Patriots football, I'd be remiss if i didn't at least spend a couple of minutes

addressing the news of the day and while this does directly relate to the world of professional sports folks it's so much bigger than that by now all of you know that covid19 otherwise known as the coronavirus has been declared a pandemic by the world health organization countries throughout the european union including italy where several of my relatives right now are under quarantine and doing their best to remain healthy. But Italy is far from the only country that's fighting this right now. Of course, China, South Korea, Iran, Australia have all reported significant cases of citizens and visitors being diagnosed with this virus. Now, the last thing in the world that I'm qualified to do, folks, is to give you medical advice.

I'm not a doctor, a medical researcher, or a healthcare worker. But yesterday, I think we all came to the realization that we might be taking the impact of this virus a bit too lightly. Because even though right here in the United States, amidst the reports of thousands of people being diagnosed with COVID-19, seeing college campuses closed for the semester, and watching the hand sanitizer, disinfectants, and toilet tissue absolutely disappear from the shelves of almost every store in the country, there still seemed to be a little bit of that,

well, what's the big deal here mentality. Well, once again, and like it has so many times before, the world of sports, both professional and collegiate, opened a few more eyes when it comes to realizing just how a pandemic of this type can impact not only thousands, not only hundreds of thousands, but millions of Americans. And countries all over the world continue to learn this lesson each day as well. The cancellation of major sporting events is nothing to take lightly. The problems that can arise from logistics and economics alone make this a decision I assure you folks is a last resort.

And yesterday afternoon, the NCAA did just that. They announced that at present, the majority of NCAA tournament games as well as the March Madness tournament would be played in arenas without fans. There would be strict adherence to this policy that only essential personnel would be allowed in and that this decision was made in the hopes of helping to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Now, even though this is an NFL-based podcast for your New England Patriots, I don't think it's a stretch of the imagination to say, folks, that the NCAA tournament is one of the biggest sporting events in the country, and if you're a sports fan, you probably turn

at least a casual eye toward March Madness during this time of year. It's almost an impossibility to imagine these games being played without fans. However, that became a reality yesterday, and it led to speculation about whether or not pro events would follow the same suit. Well, yesterday evening, as you all know, this story escalated, and it escalated in a big way. As the NBA's Utah Jazz were getting set to tip off against the Oklahoma City Thunder, league officials started to slowly pull players off the court.

And even though most of us thought we knew why, we really didn't know why. Until we had found out that Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert had tested positive for COVID-19. Now it was no longer about just fans spreading the disease to each other, or media and staff spreading the disease to one another, now it affected one of the players. And because of that, Gobert's teammates with the Jazz were put into immediate quarantine. The Oklahoma City Thunder players, because they were the home team, were sent home immediately. And very shortly after word broke, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced that the NBA was indeed suspending games indefinitely and could not provide a timetable for when action in the

National Basketball Association might resume. Now, again, folks, this is an NFL podcast. It's a New England Patriots podcast. And I again, folks, this is an NFL podcast. It's a New England Patriots podcast, and I won't go too far off the rails here. But this is a major story that affects all major sports. And while the most important priority is the physical health and well-being of anyone who has been or could be affected by coronavirus, there are a number of ways in which this socioeconomically impacts our country. It amazes me, and maybe even angers me a little bit,

that some on social media seem giddy to take the opportunity to insinuate that entities like the NBA and the NCAA have jumped to conclusions, that this is not that bad, that this is no more serious than the flu. Well, folks, again, the world of professional sports is far from being the most important thing to consider here when it comes to the impact of COVID-19 on the culture and well-being of the country, really the world. But I assure you that the decision that was made to cancel these events was not taken lightly by the NBA, the NCAA, or any of the entities that have chosen to do so.

Again, this is a pandemic that is striking across the country in a way in which we haven't seen before. Those in a position of authority, whether it be political, social, economic, and in the case of us, the average sports fan, athletic, they're making this decision with the best interest of everyone at heart. Several of you are probably upset by some of these decisions, and I get it. In times of crisis, sports are meant to be a diversion, and we simply may not have that luxury this time around. At least in the short term, not in the form of live games. But no matter what circumstances you find yourself in when it comes to this pandemic, your sports fandom doesn't need to wane. Try to understand that the step back that professional and collegiate sports is taking

right now is a metaphor for what the country must do. Take a step back, rest, before we can move forward, both stronger and healthier. Humans all over the world are strong. We'll get through this. Try to remember that even though some plans had to be changed, the greater good is what's at stake here. You yourself might be healthy and youthful. You may not believe that contracting this virus would be all that big of a deal. But keep in mind as all it takes is one misstep to transmit it to someone who's elderly, someone who might be dealing with an immunodeficiency disorder, or a young child. If you happen to know someone,

including yourself, that you think might be at risk, make sure to educate yourself and listen to medical professionals. Keep a level head. Try not to panic. Understand that physicians, scientists, and professionals that work in the medical field are the best equipped to be able to help you through this, whether you're infected or not. As we try to cope, the way we find our diversion might be a little bit different, but it doesn't have to go away.

We're fortunate as NFL fans right now, because according to some reports on Thursday afternoon, the NFL has no current plans to move back the start of the league year, which means free agency and draft preparations will remain on schedule. Now again, those of you that might have been planning on attending the NFL draft in Las Vegas this year, those plans are still very much up in the air. As of the recording of this podcast, the plans had neither been canceled nor altered. But again, folks, keep in mind, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

I know the NFL draft is a fun fan experience, but it can still be an exciting time, even if it's conducted virtually. Some of these event cancellations might upset you a little bit. Keep in mind that the vast majority of them are being temporarily suspended, not canceled outright. From an NFL standpoint, and right here on this podcast, particularly from a New England Patriots standpoint, I'll continue to monitor each and every new development and keep you updated every step of the way. Until then, even if we have to take a few days off when it comes to helping to restore

the health of a nation, remember that there are no days off when it comes to your NFL fandom. As we all work together to get through this, I wish each and every one of you nothing but the best of health, and please stay safe out there, folks. Because in just a moment, we'll ramp up our Patriots football talk on this tight end and trade talk Thursday episode of the Locked On Patriots Podcast. So Patriots fans, let's talk a little Patriots football, shall we? Hopefully,

the 2020 season will be here before we know it. And as I said to open the show today, right now, the NFL has not planned to move back free agency or the start of the 2020 league year. So the Patriots definitely have some roster building to do. And one of the positions that's caught everyone's sharp eye is the tight end position. Now, it's really not a stretch to say that 2019 was not a good year for the tight end position. I think that Benjamin Watson gave you a serviceable year and really gave you everything he could. Matt Lacoste was decent at best. I wouldn't say he had a terrible year, but his productivity was nowhere near what the Patriots hoped it would be. And even though I like Ryan Izzo personally from an effort standpoint,

his output was frankly a disappointment. He was a healthy scratch for the better part of the latter half of the season, and at the end of the day, none of the three names that I just mentioned came anywhere close to giving you even some of the production that Rob Gronkowski gave you in 2018. And make no mistake about it in 2020, folks, the Patriots are still not going to find a like-for-like comparison to Rob Gronkowski. They simply don't exist. Even prolific tight ends like George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers and Travis Kelsey of the Kansas City Chiefs,

neither of whom are available, by the way, mind you folks, but even they are not Rob Gronkowski. Gronk was one of a kind. And as I stated yesterday here on Locked On Patriots, he appears to be headed toward the WWE squared circle. So where does that leave the Patriots? Well, a couple of intriguing names hit the social media circuit yesterday, and I'm a little bit more intrigued by one name than the other.

And the first is a name that a lot of NFL insiders assumed would become available, but we weren't really sure. That is until this morning, and ESPN's Adam Schefter announced that the Green Bay Packers had informed tight end Jimmy Graham that he would be released. Now, Graham is currently in the last year of a three-year, $30 million contract that he signed with the Packers before the 2018-2019 season. According to ESPN, he would carry a cap hit of over $11 million for the final year, which would be this year, 2020. Now, Schefter went on further to say that Green Bay had apparently been trying to shop Graham throughout the league, but was not able to shed that contract from its books. As a result, he will be an unrestricted free agent a year early, and probably going to be for a bargain. I don't think

it's a stretch of the imagination to say that Graham's best days are behind him, but he's still not ready for the past year just yet. That being said, 2019 wasn't exactly a season to remember for Jimmy Graham. He recorded the lowest number of receptions, receiving yards, and targets since his rookie season in 2010. Keep in mind, folks, that's with a prolific signal caller like Aaron Rodgers throwing him the football. At the end of the day, or I should say at the end of the year in 2019, Jimmy Graham ended up amassing 38 catches for 447 yards and three touchdowns after being targeted 60 times. Now, as you can probably tell from the tone of my voice, of the two tight ends that I'll mention in this segment, Jimmy Graham is the one with whom I am not so enamored. And there are a couple of

reasons for that. The first is that I've never really been a fan of Jimmy Graham as a blocking tight end. Granted, blocking has never been his strong suit. And quite honestly, it's never been his selling point. But in a Patriots offense, it's so important to be that dual threat, and if the Patriots are going to shell out free agent money to be able to bring in a tight end that can be a reliable pass catcher, that should include the ability to block, and maybe even be a decoy at times. To be fair, Graham is not a terrible blocker, but even if he comes to the Patriots at a bargain, and I'll get into that in a moment, he's still going to command at least a respectable amount of money on the open market. If the

Patriots are looking for an investment, it might be wiser to look for someone with a little bit of a different skill set and also a bit younger, and that's the other reason why I'm not overly enamored with Jimmy Graham. At 33, we've noticed a notable decline in Jimmy's numbers over the course of the last few years. If he was playing with a lesser quarterback than Aaron Rodgers, you could probably explain that away. But Rodgers is one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL. He makes players around him better. And when you see a decline in production, like we saw in even 2018 and also into 2019 with Jimmy Graham, it has to be an area of concern. So for that reason, I don't think the Patriots dipped their toe into the Jimmy Graham pool. However, folks, it should be noted that's just my opinion, and they still very well may do so.

And again, the reason being is that he may end up coming at a bargain. Signing him as an unrestricted free agent with approximately an $11 million cap hit might be a bit more palatable than signing a high-profile free agent that will likely command a higher annual salary and thus a greater hit against the cap. Also, even though he's 33, you can't discount the fact that Jimmy Graham is still a veteran, and he has a significant amount of experience catching passes from prolific quarterbacks. Don't forget, this is a player that's played with Drew Brees, Russell Wilson, and Aaron Rogers.

He knows what it takes to be on the receiving end of elite passers. So I caution you, even though I'm not very high on the Jimmy Graham train, doesn't mean the Patriots might not be. And it also doesn't mean that it'll be a bad signing for the New England Patriots. Just that in my opinion, I think there are better fits out there, and again, I think the Patriots would be better suited to seek them. And that leads me to the second tight end that's been making the rounds in the social media chapter of Patriots Nation. And that is former Indianapolis Colts tight end Eric Ebron. Now Ebron

is a name that I've had my eye on for quite some time. He's only a year removed from a Pro Bowl season in which he caught 13 touchdown passes. Now albeit, he did catch those passes from Andrew Luck. And much like the prolific quarterbacks that I discussed earlier, Luck is the type of guy that made players around him better. You can't attribute all of Ebron's success to his quarterback. He has to make those catches as well. And to me, those types of numbers prove that with the right quarterback in the right system, Eric Ebron can be a very effective weapon in an offensive system. Now, Evan Lazar of CLNS Media, who's been a guest several times here on the Locked On Patriots podcast, also identified Ebron as someone that the Patriots might be looking at.

And Evan likes Ebron as a potential fit in New England, but does have some concerns. And as a matter of fact, they're the same types of concerns that I had about Jimmy Graham. And that's when it comes to his blocking. Ebron definitely isn't known for his blocking, but Evan does point out that he is capable of executing kickouts and down blocks, but we really shouldn't expect him to be a focal point of the rushing attack. According to Evan's analysis, Ebron really shines as a pass catcher. That's where he's got some serious burst and some vertical speed for a tight end of his caliber.

The thing that I've noticed about Ebron throughout the years is it's very difficult for linebackers to line up in coverage with him. That's simply because Ebron is too fast. He's definitely at his best when running the scene, but in the red zone, he can separate over the top due to his sudden acceleration and is able to find success there as well. Another thing that Evan pointed out about Eric Ebron, and I want to give him credit for this, is that he can also match body for body with defenders, and he can box out in the end zone. When defensive players try to quick jam him, he's ready for it. He uses his body and his momentum against the defender to win with body

positioning, and he can high point the back shoulder throw. That's a great skill set to possess, and it leads to a lot of success in short-yarded situations. So in my assessment of these two players, I definitely like Ebron as the better option over Jimmy Graham. However, the one thing that might deter the Patriots from going this route is the fact that because of all the reasons I've mentioned, he's much more likely to command a higher salary out on the open market. If the Patriots want to bring Eric Ebron to Foxborough,

they're going to have to pony up to do it. And that's something that could be a challenge. Don't forget, there's a wild card in all this, folks. The only way Eric Ebron agrees to come to Foxborough, and in my opinion, the only way Jimmy Graham agrees to come to Foxborough, is if Tom Brady is going to be the Patriots starting quarterback in 2020. Without Brady, I don't think you see an influx of free agents that are willing to come here and start over, especially when it's likely that they'll both get more money elsewhere.

Without question, Brady is the key to the Patriots' free agent strategy. Once they know what Tom is going to do, they can better assess the market, both from a free agency standpoint and from a trade standpoint. Because let's face it, folks, the Patriots can't build a roster from free agency alone. If they're looking for a veteran pass catcher, they might actually be better off going in the trade route. And in just a moment, I'll run down my Trade Talk Thursday Foxborough wish list. And folks, I'll leave it to you to determine whether or not you think these players might be a likely fit here in New England. Patriots fans, we know that the start of the league year always means interesting conversation when it comes to roster building.

Will the Patriots go the draft route? Will they bring in a number of marquee free agents? Will they shop the bargain basement? Or will they work the trade wire? Of course, the biggest free agent fish in the pond remains Tom Brady. And ultimately, I don't think anyone can get a clear path on exactly what the Patriots will do to build their roster this year until they know for sure what Tom's going to do in 2020. For the sake of argument, we'll assume that Tom's coming back in 2020. The free agent market is pretty good, but it's not

overwhelmingly abundant, which means the best and most prolific players at their position are likely to command a great deal of money on the open market. A couple of weeks ago on What If Wednesday here on the Locked On Patriots podcast, we talked about the possibility of the Patriots trading for prolific wide receivers like Stephon Diggs and Odell Beckham Jr. Those are still the gems of most Patriots fans' eyes. However, the possibilities of either one of those happening is lukewarm at best. For what I like to call my sharp eye list, I went through a few of the rumors and rumblings

out there surrounding the Patriots and good potential fits. Seeing as we already talked about Jimmy Graham and Eric Ebron as potential fits from free agency, we'll stay with the tight end position. One player that's potentially out there on the trading block right now is the Baltimore Ravens' Hayden Hurst. Now Hurst was a former first-round pick in 2018. He's kind of been lost in the shuffle a little bit in Baltimore, and I think he could benefit from a new situation. Hurst is still young, and he's growing as a player. He's coming off of a 30-catch, 349-yard season in Baltimore.

Now that may not seem like a lot, folks, but he would have actually ranked third on the Patriots in receptions last year. That includes both tight ends and wide receivers. That should give you a little bit of a hint as to why the Patriots are in such need of some help at the offensive skill positions. It's difficult to say as to whether or not Baltimore would be willing to even deal with New England. Don't forget, they're a primary rival of theirs for supremacy in the AFC. But if Hayden Hurst is deemed to be an expendable piece of the puzzle in Baltimore, I think Bill Belichick would be smart to at least do his due diligence and inquire on him. Another potential trade target at the tight end position is the New York Giants' Evan Engram.

To me, Engram would be the ideal target if the Patriots are looking for an athletic, pass-catching tight end. ESPN's Matthew Berry was among the first to report that the Giants may be looking to trade him. And don't forget, Engram was a first-round pick in 2017. The Giants seem to have soured on him a little bit, and the reasoning is that they don't believe he can stay healthy. And it is hard to ignore the evidence, folks.

Ingram has missed 13 games over the past two seasons. But when he's healthy, he's one of the most dynamic tight ends in the league. He's a high-risk move for the Patriots, but he might be able to be had for the right price. He has a great upside, and to me, he's the only one of the players right now at tight end that could be had via trade, might be able to provide at least some of the balance that Rob Gronkowski gave you when it comes to pass receptions and blocking. Ingram is not Gronk, folks. He never will be.

But Ingram has some pretty good prowess when healthy at being a blocker and being a pass catcher, and the Patriots might be able to pull this one off and not have to trade away a lot of assets to do it. And last but not least at the tight end position is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' O.J. Howard. My good friend and Paizan, who joined me a couple of days ago here on the Locked On Patriots podcast, Steve Balistrieri, has been beating the O.J. Howard drum for quite some time.

I completely agree with him. I think he would be a perfect fit in New England, and I think the Patriots agree. Apparently, they did a little more than just kick the tires on him back during the trading deadline in October. The Patriots apparently made an offer on Howard. However, Bruce Arians and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers brass decided that they wanted to hold on to him. That's a little surprising to me, considering in a Bruce Arians offense, the tight end is not often used as a prolific pass catcher. Howard is very good in that department. He's also a great blocker.

But here's the problem with the Patriots making an offer to Tampa Bay to try to pry him away. Just yesterday, reports surfaced that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were looking to shed cap space in the hopes of going all in on Tom Brady. That's right, folks. The Bucs are going after Brady. Now, that doesn't mean he's going to sign there. It just means that Tampa Bay wants to make as strong of a push to sign him as they possibly can.

If Tom should, in fact, reach free agency, he's going to be looking to head to a team with a pretty good amount of talent at the skill position players. Let's not forget that Tom is pretty comfortable in an offense that features a good pass-catching tight end. The Bucs would not want to trade away one of their best offensive weapons and still hope to lure Tom Brady into the fold. Now, if Tom announces that he's coming back to New England, we live in hope, folks, then you might see Bill Belichick pick up the phone.

And at that point, Bruce Arians might be a little more willing to listen this time around than last. This is one that I would definitely keep a sharp eye on. Howard would look great in Patriot blue if the fates allow. But the Patriots don't just have their eyes on trade targets at the tight end position. They also have their eyes open for a few wide receivers. And folks, the wide receivers on my sharp eye list have neither the last name Diggs nor Beckham. The first name that I think could be a good fit in New England would be Marquise Goodwin of the 49ers.

NFL Network's Ian Rappaport put out last week that Goodwin could possibly be on the block. If that is indeed the case, I make the call if I'm Bill Belichick. He's one of the fastest players and an Olympic sprinter, believe it or not. However, he has lost a little bit of his value in San Francisco while the rest of the team's young wide receiver core has developed, particularly Debo Samuel. Financially, this would make sense too, as Goodwin makes just a little over $6.4 million per season. That means he wouldn't carry a back-breaking cap hit. And at the same time, he'd come with that type of game-changing speed that the Patriots have lacked for a good long while now.

To me, this is actually a call I make whether Tom Brady is back in New England or not. I really like Goodwin's value relative to his salary, and I don't believe it would take a mountain of draft picks or a ton of trade capital to get this done. There's nothing out of Foxborough at this point that indicates that the Patriots are even kicking the tires on Goodwin. If the trade chatter heats up on him, look for the Patriots to be in the mix. Last and certainly not least, a potential wide receiver to keep a sharp eye on currently takes his snaps in the Meadowlands, and that would be wide receiver Golden Tate of the

New York Giants. This rumor was first put out there a couple of weeks ago by NJ.com's Dan Duggan, and let's face it, Tate's name has been thrown around with Patriot trade talks really for the last couple of seasons now. He was even rumored at one point to be headed here as a free agent. Tate is 31 years of age, he's bounced around the league over the past couple of seasons, and he's coming off of an underwhelming season in New York. He only had 49 catches, 676 yards, and six touchdowns.

The Giants are trying to rebuild and could look to Tate as a potential salary dump. And seeing how he's set to make $9.375 million over the next three seasons, this could be intriguing. What makes Tate the perfect fit in New England, especially if Tom Brady is the quarterback in 2020, is that he is an exceptional route runner. He could pair very well with Tom. Plus, the Patriots have a long track record of trying to revitalize receivers

toward the end of their careers. It's been rumored for quite some time that Tate has an affinity for New England and has always wanted to play for head coach Bill Belichick. A lot of people are going to roll their eyes on this one, say he's past his prime, not worth it. But again, if the chatter starts to heat up on this, I definitely make the call if I'm Bill Belichick. Receivers like Goodwin and Tate, and tight ends like Hurst and Howard, even Ingram, bring a veteran presence that was desperately

needed on the New England Patriots last year. They simply didn't have it. I know you fans are going to be looking for the big name, the big splash, but the Patriots have typically done their best work when working under the radar. Have faith, trust the process, and again, folks, keep your fingers crossed and a sharp eye on TB12. It begins and ends with Tom Brady, and once we know what he's going to do, it'll probably be a lot easier to figure out what the Patriots are going to do. So there you have it, folks.

My sharp eye wish list for the New England Patriots when it comes to tight ends and trade markets. Did I mention some of your favorites? Who did I forget? Am I off base in some of my assessments? I would love to hear what you think, and I truly value your opinion. So be sure to drop me a line on Twitter and let me know your thoughts. As for me, I will be back here tomorrow to continue to bring you the latest news notes

and analysis from Foxborough. And I will be joined by a special guest that will help me close out the week here on the Locked On Patriots podcast in grand fashion. As always, please be sure to join me each and every day here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. Subscribe and download via your preferred podcast provider. Once again, I'm Mike DeBate. I thank you so much for listening today and for staying locked into Locked On Patriots.

And if you enjoyed today's podcast, now tell your smart device to play the most recent episode of Locked On NFL Draft. Stay healthy, stay safe, and have a great day, everyone.