Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Training Camp Tight Endage: New England Patriots TEs Stand Out in Camp — 8/5/2021

Episode Date: August 6, 2021

The New England Patriots upgraded their tight end depth chart by signing the top two free agents on the market, Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Clare ‘ClazzyClare’ Cooper of FPC Patriots and Pats Propaganda. The duo discuss the training camp performances of both Smith and Henry, some camp surprises at the position and the prowess of Jakob Johnson at the fullback position.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnline AGThere is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus.Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. You are now locked in to the Lockdown Patriots podcast. Today is Thursday, August 5th, 2021, and it is time to talk a little training camp tight-ended, sprinkled with a little bit of fullback, here on your daily home for news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. Greetings and salutations, Patriots Nation, and thank you for joining me here on this Thursday episode of the Lockdown Patriots Podcast.

My name is Mike DeBate, and I cover your New England Patriots for Patriot Maven of Sports Illustrated. I am also 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 folks, because it's your team every day, that means your questions, comments, and feedback are always welcomed and very much appreciated.

So share that feedback. Send it to the internet by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATENFL. And while you're out there doing some Thursday traveling through the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Pats fans, it is day eight of training camp in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and into everyone's life a little rain must fall. Patriots have really enjoyed some great weather thus far in New England.

Maybe not as warm as some of you who love the summer weather might like it, but it's definitely great for football. Well, today the rains did fall on the practice fields adjacent to Gillette Stadium, but the Patriots were still able to get some solid work in. And it starts with rookie quarterback Mac Jones, who let's just say folks had a full day of work took a great amount of snaps Patriots took full advantage of the weather and Mac looked very comfortable making his reads making the throws he looked a lot better wearing the pads today than he

did a couple of days ago Mac turned in arguably the highlight of the day where he put a precision pass right over the shoulder of running back James White. Mack put it where only James could field it. Cornerback Miles Bryant in on the coverage, but the connection between Mack and James White resulted in a nice 20-yard strike. Cam Newton got a little bit of a lighter workload today. He still looked good at times, but there were times where he looked a little bit hesitant throwing the football. All in all, not Cam's best day, but still a lot of positives when it comes to the Patriots'

projected starter this camp. He's looked stronger, he's looked better prepared, and dare I say, the Patriots are in good shape when it comes to the quarterback position. Both quarterback 1 and 2 look strong so far, and I look for that to continue into next week. And one of the reasons why the quarterbacks have looked so good is because they now have some quote-unquote weapons to throw to. I usually hate using that word, but it's appropriate, especially when it comes to the tight end position. Folks, I think

it's a safe assumption, of course assuming good health, that production from the tight end position in Foxborough is about to make a return in a big way. John O'Smith has had himself a great camp, possibly poising himself for a breakout season. Right there with him is Hunter Henry, who has been running routes like a pro, getting open, making blocks, and really providing that one-two combination that the Patriots haven't had in quite some time. While it's true that last year's rookies have not found their way onto the field yet, after all, Dalton Keene has been on the physically unable to perform list, Devin Asiasi continues to remain on the COVID reserve,

but in their absence, some of the depth pieces have had their chance to shine a little bit. on the physically unable to perform list. Devin Asiasi continues to remain on the COVID reserve. But in their absence, some of the depth pieces have had their chance to shine a little bit. Troy Fumagalli, Matt Lacoste having solid camps. David Wells has been in the mix. And of course, how can we forget the fullback position? John has been taking some jet sweeps out of the backfield, almost looking like a fullback at times. But Jakob Johnson has been right there in the mix every step of the way. It's a Thursday.

You know I love my alliteration. So it seems like the perfect time to do a little Thursday tight end training camp evaluation. That's a few Ts there. And if that's going to be the subject, then you know there's no one else we could possibly have on the pod today than the Countess of Klaas herself, Miss Tight Endage Claire Klaasie Claire Cooper. And being the expert she is on the subject, she will give us her opinion on the tight ends in camp so far, including what she's seen and heard from Jonu Smith, Hunter Henry,

also when it comes to Matt Lacoste, Troy Fumagalli, and Jakob Johnson at the fullback position. Folks, an action-packed agenda on the pod today. Thursday, tight endage from training camp with the Countess of Clas herself breaking it all down with yours truly when this Thursday episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Locked On listeners, Built Bar, the most delicious,

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your next order. That's promo code LOCKED15 for 15% off your next order. That's promo code LOCKED15 for 15% off at Bilt.com. Patriots fans, we have been camping with your New England Patriots now for over a week. The pads are on and anticipation is high as the Patriots march toward their first preseason game this coming Thursday. However, there are still a lot of question marks out there and still a lot of player evaluations to be made, particularly at two positions that are very near and dear to your heart. They're even more near and dear to the heart of my guest today because her wit and wisdom are a staple here on the pod.

And I know that hers is a voice and an accent and a giggle that you know very well. From West Midlands in the UK, backed by popular demand, a phenomenal Patriots writer for Pat's Propaganda, the third voice on One Patriots Place, and a special contributor and columnist for Full Press Coverage Patriots, where she also hosts her own Patriots podcast.

And folks, I tell you without hesitation, a must listen for any Pats fan. Check out a Claire perspective today. But it is my honor to welcome the Countess of Clas herself. Claire Clasie Claire Cooper is back here today on Locked On Patriots. Claire, thank you so much for joining me today from across the pond. Welcome back to the pod. Oh, the pleasure is all mine mike the pleasure is all mine and i had to really hold in my little laugh when you were

saying about tight ends and stuff it being near and dear to my heart i had to like try and really hard to be quiet so that i didn't ruin the introduction and just be nice and got a hold that giggling well we we definitely appreciate that. And there it is, folks. And you're going to hear that a lot today, I guarantee you. But, you know, it's always a pleasure sharing the microphone with you. No matter the topic, you know that. We like to have fun at your expense regarding you being an expert on tight-endage. It is your specialty. You even have t-shirts being made. So, folks, definitely check those out as well. But, Claire, you're really emerging as one of the more talented and well-rounded writers on all things New England Patriots, from offense, defense, special teams, coaching.

Claire is good, folks, and definitely be sure to check out her great work. But when the topic of the day is the tight end position, and even though we're putting on the pads, a rainy day out there today in Foxborough, there's a lot of storylines surrounding that. But the tight end position is one that's had the spotlight from the start. Patriots got very poor production out of the position last year. I'm sorry. No disrespect to your man, Ryan Izzo. I think he did.

We've said he did the best he could. But there's only so many people that can turn water into wine. Ryan, I just think was out of options at that point. But the Patriots knew that and they went out and upgraded in a big way. And it's really been a lot of fun for me to see guys like Hunter Henry and John Smith out there making plays and really, I think, revitalizing the tight end position. Claire, you always keep a sharp eye on tight ends.

That came out the wrong way, but you know what I mean. You always keep a sharp eye on the position on the football field. From the camp coverage that you've seen so far, what's been your experience or what's been your opinion of the way the Patriots are utilizing the tight ends? And just in general, how great has it seemed to have that position back in the spotlight when it comes to the New England Patriots offense? Well, firstly, I do need to point out that I am still playing a little bit of catch up on some of the training camp coverage as I was away. As soon as training camp kicked

off, I decided that I was going to take a mini vacation just to be awkward. But no, I have seen quite a bit and like you said I obviously focus on times because it's something that is my interest to play a position is my niche is that kind of thing I've noticed reporting coming out of camp although obviously predominantly it's Mac and camp that that's what you guys are reporting at the moment and that's you know that is the hot topic and that's fair enough I have heard the names of actually all of the tight end well most of the tight ends and and in a way I found that quite surprising because it hasn't only been focused on Janu and Hunter although there's been a lot about Janu and I'll touch back on that in a moment it hasn't only

been the two signed tight ends that we've heard about we've heard about for Magali being used and we've heard about Lacoste particularly about Lacoste sounding like he is trying to say trying to he's he's out there looking to maybe prove himself to gain his spot because he was injured in a lot in 2019 so he didn't really show the team much when he signed with them and then obviously he opted out in 2020 so again the Patriots probably haven't seen a lot of what this guy can do um considerably and now it's it's a fight against the rookies um so I think that hearing his name quite a lot was surprising it's good because it means you know that they've got added depth it's good that they haven't only got two superstar tight ends and that's good because it means you know that they've got added depth it's good that

they haven't only got two superstar tight ends and that's it because anything in regards to sort of injury and all of a sudden you lose one of them if the Patriots are looking to set up these two tight end packages that kind of thing which we're sort of just expecting just from what they you know from the signing then they're going to fall short very quickly if, say, Hunter Henry, goodness forbid, went off injured and they haven't really got much of a backup other than Devin Asiasi. Nothing against Asiasi, but particularly because he's not really as the rounded role of a tight end as Hunter Henry. I'd put him more towards the Jonny Smith kind of tight end than I would as Hunter Henry I'd put him more in the towards the Johnny Smith kind of tight end than I would the Hunter Henry but that's just you know just sort of looking at what he has done and

what we have seen which unfortunately hasn't been that much of him either again Fumagalli I heard his name and initially thought maybe he'd be signed through as as a camp body could he probably still will be but it's interesting to see that they are utilising him considerably in training camp at the moment. I haven't heard that much in regards to David Wells that they kind of re-picked up, if you like, from last year. I think he was in camp in November 2020, I believe, that he was around. So I haven't actually heard much about him. You may be able to tell me otherwise as you've been to camp. And I do just think it's, as I said, not to repeat myself, but I just found it very interesting that we weren't only hearing about Henry and Smith. I mean, the use of the tight ends, I mean, going forward, if they're looking at using a two tight end set, which we sort of, as I mentioned, maybe assuming, keeping somebody like Fulmigali or Lacoste, you know, is something that I'm hoping that they do consider. Devon Asiasi and being on the COVID now I understand that um he can he will be eligible

to come back shortly the concern is how having COVID may have affected him and also losing a sort of um very important week into camp might affect his development as well we heard a lot when cam newton came back from having covid he's covid fog and and such like um now i'm no doctor i don't know anything of you know the technical nature the scientific nature of that but if this kid is is affected it's really going to affect his position going forward particularly if they've got people such as Lacoste shining during training camp to be honest I think it's interesting that they signed Smith first in regards to the free agency um and that you know he's the weapon that he's being utilized a lot in training camp his is the name that he's being that he's being mentioned a lot And he's the most versatile of the two tight ends.

So it's curious to see how they're going to utilise him going forward. He's quite explosive. And is he going to be used a lot more like a running back, more like a fullback, a hateback, that kind of thing? I went back and watched the 2011 Divisional Broncos game to see how much they utilised the two tight end sets there. And obviously, in this case, it was Hernandez and Gronk. And Hunter Henry and Jonu aren't Hernandez and Gronk, obviously. But it is very interesting to see how they utilised Hernandez

as a versatile player. And I'm just sort of wondering, going forward, how much they're going to do that in regards to johnny but saying that mike seeing as you know you've been to training camp how about we switch seats and you answer my tight-ended questions oh so you're gonna put me on the hot seat this morning you want my wisdom in council for camp uh i like that. That's a bold approach, but you know what? I think we can pull it off. Okay. All right. Let's, let's, let's, okay. I hand you the interviewer's microphone here. You can put me on the hot seat. I'll be the guest today here on Lockdown Patriots.

I don't like this. I get to, you know, it's a different perspective. I'm not just staring at the same wall. It's great. Sure. Whatever you'd like to ask me i will definitely do my best to answer that to the best of my ability well as i mentioned you've seen a lot more than i have um so i've rambled on a little bit with what i have seen and what i think of the tight-ended that's going forward so really you're going to be more in the know than i am so yes you take your seat over there and you sit and you answer my questions and let me grill you for a change so let me go first of all to a shared love that we have you and I have both been quite vocal in regards to Hunter Henry you spent a lot of time covering him at the charges as we know as listeners that have heard before should be aware of um and

obviously he's the traditional tight end so he's my favorite if you like so Henry sparkled a little in the spring mini camp we heard a lot more about Hunter Henry you know in the spring reports have been reasonably quiet since then I'm guessing a lot might be because you know they're not utilizing not wearing pads and that kind of thing we've only had one day other than today there's only been one day of wearing pads and with Henry being um a traditional sort of wide tight end and more of a blocking tight end his skill set may be not utilized quite as much out of pads so can you tell us please what have you seen of Hunter Henry and what can you report back to us in regards to him? That's a great question, Claire. And look,

Hunter Henry is coming in exactly as advertised. Maybe not to the fan eye, because I think a lot of people, myself included, hyped him up as someone that could come in and be a game changer in this offense. He absolutely is, but he's doing it in a way that's a little more subtle. And early on in camp, especially when you don't have the pads put on, it can be very difficult to evaluate a player with Hunter Henry's skill set. Hunter is still a tremendous route runner, and you're seeing that in training camp. He's had some difficulties connecting with Cam Newton, but when he has connected with Cam, he's been very, very effective. Mac Jones, the same way. He has an ability to be

in the right spot, right at the right point, and the quarterback needs to put the pass exactly where he can receive it. That's been something that Cam has struggled with since he came here to New England, so I think they're going to see those two really work on some synergy in that regard. But Hunter is still, he's running routes very well. He's in great positions to block. He is getting open and he's able to receive and does have those sure hands. So I've been very impressed with what I've seen from Hunter Henry so far. I think now that the pads are on on a regular basis, you're going to continue to see that

progression move forward and you're going to see him be a lot more visible than he has been within the first few days of camp. But having my sharp eye on Hunter Henry, having covered him before, having been a big fan of his for a number of years, I'm looking at him with a little bit more of a critical lens. And from what I've seen so far, I definitely like what I see in Hunter Henry. The the Patriots definitely got a good one and he'll pay dividends for them on the field this year that's good that's definitely the sort of thing that I want to hear and I can imagine probably most of our listeners would like to hear as well okay moving on from one top tight end to the other top tight end so I'm going to ask you this in a little bit of a round about where you know fairness because I think we have some depth at running back um at the moment and quite powerful

runners as well as I mentioned earlier in my little sum up um I watched the 2011 Divisional Broncos game recently just to see how they utilize the tight end sets and in that one particular game they did use Hernandez as a significant ball carrier now do you think that we'll see this kind of I want to say sneaky use of Johnny Smith in a way in in all fairness to throw the defenses off that you know that they used Hernandez as a traditional blocker a running back, in the I formation as a fullback as well, as well as a receiver. Do you think that Jonu Smith, I'm not saying he's Hernandez, I'm not. So we don't need people to write in and sort of complain. In all fairness, I'm just sort of utilising as in a skill set from a skill set perspective.

Do you think that they'll get the extent of versatility like Hernandez from Johnny? Yeah, and I think you're seeing that already, and we've seen it already in camp, especially because the Patriots have not had a whole lot of padded practice recently. They're usually operating mostly out of red zone drills, and the red zone drill is the perfect opportunity for a move tight end like Jonu Smith to make an impact. He's getting out there. He's getting out there. He's getting open in the red zone. He's getting a good synergy again with Mac Jones, with Cam Newton. Been a couple of issues with drops, but I mean, that's to be expected in

training camp. That's why you'd run these drills. That's why you rehearse. Basically, that's what this is. It's a rehearsal for the Patriots each and every day out there. So he'll continue to get better as he learns his new quarterbacks. But we're seeing John who carry the ball out of the backfield a little bit more, even than I expected. And I think that's a little bit of a surprise considering the Patriots do have a full-time fullback on staff. Then I'm sure we're probably going to get into Yacob Johnson in a little bit, but when it comes to what John who Smith is able to do, he's such a great athlete. He's a strong athlete, and it's the type of dynamic that the Patriots have not had at the

tight end position in quite some time. Rob Gronkowski could do it all out there on the field. He could be a wide tight end. He could be a move tight end. He could essentially switch back and forth, and I've never seen a guy with the versatility the way Rob had it. He was more of a traditional why, no question about it, but he could play the move as well. John who Smith really, I think embodies that move tight end. It is similar to Aaron. And I know, you know, it's a tough subject to bring up. It's a tough name to even mention for Patriots fans. But when you look at what he's been able to do on the field, purely on the field, not taking anything, taking everything else out of the equation, there was a unique skill set there. And Jonu Smith, I've noticed, does embody some of those.

So a little bit surprised to see him carrying the ball as much out of the backfield, almost as a pseudo fullback. But he's so good at being able to do it. We knew the jet sweep was going to be a weapon that the Patriots would employ using Jono Smith, but it looks like they might be a little bit more eager to try that. Again, it's training camp. It's early. They're trying things out. At the end of the day, we may not see as much of it in the regular season or even in preseason contests. But Jono is, again, like Hunter, everything is advertised. That big body, that red zone zone threat somebody that can get open make catches move the chains and even be an effective blocker when he needs to and get his hands in the dirt

another complete tight end Patriots got two good ones in Hunter Henry and in Jono Smith yeah I mean I think it's interesting um the the one thing that Johnny kind of got going from a little bit more is is his speed is his more of his athleticism I mean the Houston I think it was a Houston Tennessee game back the end of 2019 some November December kind of time um and they used him as a ball carrier a little bit and we saw a 57 yard run as the ball carrier and he had he had that sort of the speed that you would expect more kind of of like a wide receiver position so that's one thing that's always going to be going for him is his size added with his speed that somebody like maybe kind of um

hunter henry doesn't quite have quite as quite as significantly as as as as johnny does absolutely and i think that they complement each other very well. Josh McDaniels talked about this yesterday and having complimentary players on the roster that really have different skill sets, but it can come together and be an asset. Now, of course, people are going to point out, well, Josh was talking about the quarterback position, but it's true of any position, even on defense, but it's true of offense. You want to have a good balance. You want to have a good compliment of players that can play for power, play for finesse, play for speed. It really does well round an offense. And the Patriots really didn't have much of that last year. Quarterback position was really, I think, a game of catch up all season long. The tight end position was so depleted by injury and inexperience that they really couldn't get the production that I had. Offensive line was solid. The running game was solid, but that made the Patriots very one-dimensional. And because of that and the difficulties they had with the wide receivers as well, with Julian Edelman going down and having a lack of production from guys like Nikhil Harry, it really was very difficult. So this year you're seeing a more complete roster, more complete positional depth charts, and it's made all the difference on the field.

And that's what I think has a lot of Patriots fans and even a lot of media like myself pretty excited about what this Patriots offense can look like. And I think the addition of the two tight ends is a huge reason why. Yeah, I agree completely. Well, I'm glad that you agree because after all, this is still locked on Patriots, folks. Claire is doing a great job of taking over the microphone here. Maybe a little too good. I think I might have to polish up my resume a little bit here. I don't know, changing of the guard, folks.

You tell me. You tell me what's going on here. But I'm going to assert my authority right now and take us into a break because Claire is not done yet putting me on the hot seat. It's always my honor to join her here on the microphone and have her here on Locked On Patriots. But even though we do have a lot of fun when it comes to talking tight endage, again, you have the knowledge of a lot of different positions.

We're going to talk about one of those in just a moment. When we return, Claire puts me on the hot seat about the fullback position and also what surprised me so far in camp when it comes to both positions. Find out when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Locked On listeners, get all the latest news, odds, and info for all of your sporting needs including major league baseball the nba nhl all of your ufc mma action and of course the nfl with the only place that has you covered and the only place we trust bet online bet online is the fastest and easiest

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Don't sit on the sidelines anymore this is your chance to get into the action head over to their website or use your mobile device to sign up today and receive your 50 welcome bonus on your first deposit when you use the promo code locked on bet online your online sportsbook experts patri Patriots fans, Claire Klazzy, Claire Cooper, the Countess of Klaz herself, joins me today on the pod. And we're doing something a little different here on Lockdown Patriots today. Claire's putting me on the camp hot seat and asking for my observations when it comes to two of her favorite positions out there on the football field, tight endage and, of course,

the fullback position. And Claire, I don't want to steal your thunder, but I know you have some questions regarding this position. We talked a little bit about Jonu Smith taking more of a fullback role at times in some of the red zone drills in camp, but I know you want to take a deeper dive into that position. So please, by all means, here is once again the interviewer's microphone and you can put me on the hot seat now to take us home here in the second segment of Lockdown Patriots today. Well, thank you very much, Mike. I'd like to make yourself comfortable while I get to my

questions. So as you mentioned the fallback, the two tight end sets may reduce the use of a fullback, especially if, as we've mentioned, as we've touched on before, they use Smith as more of a sort of a Hernandez role in the sort of multiple roles covering sort of fullback, that kind of thing. Have you seen much of Jakob Johnson in training camp? And also, if so, or even if not, what do you think of his future in New England, especially in connection with this, what we're seeing now as they are utilizing Johnny Smith? Yeah, I think with regard to Jakob Johnson, he's out there. He's out there every day. As we all know, he is a member of the International Pathway Program, has done a great job of filling

the shoes of James Devlin, the of filling the shoes of James Devlin, the indelible shoes of James Devlin, which I think in a lot of ways the Patriots sorely miss James, not just what he brought on the field, but also what he was able to bring in the locker room, one of the most well-respected guys you'll ever meet, and one of the great guys that I've had the chance to cover here in New England. But Jakob has done a tremendous job. He has served as the lead blocker in the running game, and that's essentially what we've seen him line up at during training camp so far. So he is out there still playing that role. Occasional receiver out of the backfield, we've seen Jonu Smith take on that role a little bit more. So I wonder if maybe there

might be a reduction in store because of Jonu's prowess and being able to do that. It'll be interesting to see now that the pads are on, if John, who was going to take more of that move tight end role. Yeah. Go back into a traditional fullback role. And he can also carry the ball in short yardage. We've seen him do that and even get into the goal line a few times and

across the goal line for a few touchdowns. So I don't think necessarily his spot on the roster is set in stone yet, Claire. But at the same time, I look at the way this roster is situated and the Patriots always love to employ a full-time fullback. Danny Vitale no longer on this roster. We never get a chance to see him in a Patriots uniform. But Jakob Johnson is someone that I think is probably solidifying his role. If for no other reason, we haven't had a chance to see Dalton Keene on the field yet.

He still remains on the physically unable to perform list, hasn't practiced in training camp so far. And with all of the time that he's missed, you have to wonder if even if he's activated soon, all of the time that he's missed may force him into trying to maybe overcompensate and get back into game shape pretty quickly. It might be difficult for him to do that. We don't know what Dalton is dealing with.

Not a whole lot of information on his injury. We keep looking for him. I keep looking for him every day and I keep listing him on the pub list. And he was again on Thursday. So we'll continue to keep a sharp eye on Dalton because I think if there's any threat to Jakob's roster spot, it would come from Dalton Keane, not from Jonu Smith. Jonu is a tight end. That's what he's going to be used as.

He may carry the ball out of the backfield and jet sweeps look more like a fullback on occasion, but I don't think the Patriots are going to go into this season without a dedicated fullback on their roster. My gut reaction tells me that's going to be Jakob Johnson. Yeah, I completely agree. I want to sort of take it a little bit away from that, a little bit off topic, just because of what you said about Dalton Keane. He had a neck injury and a leg injury last year.

So I don't know if I've heard whispers in regards to his injury at the moment, in regards to his leg. That was the most recent injury that he that he incurred last year. Now, how long do you think it would be until they maybe let him go? How much can he miss before it just becomes way too detrimental because of the fact that he didn't have much of a year last year either. Well, at this point, I mean, he does count against the 90-man roster and still continues to, even though he is on PUP. Now, the Patriots are going to face in the coming weeks some decisions. Do they put him on long-term, physically unable to perform, and essentially start the season without him counting against the roster? That would be a designation to return. So

the Patriots do have some questions on Dalton Keene and they have to make some decisions on him. I still don't think they're ready to quite cut the cord when it comes to him yet. They invested third round draft capital last year, didn't get to see much of him on the field. I know Bill Belichick and the Patriots brain trust were very impressed by his ability to carry the ball out of the backfield, be that H-back, fullback type tight end that he was at Virginia Tech. I think they'd like to see that. And before they've really had a chance to evaluate him, if there is any type of long term pup or injured reserve designations in his future, I think they would go that route before completely cutting him loose. So I don't think Dalton is in danger of losing his job on the team. But at the same time, you also have to wonder whether or not there might be something more in play. There might be something more beneath the surface.

If that's the case, then a lengthy stay on one of the injury designations, whether it be Pup or IR, might be in store for him. But that is pure speculation on my part. I don't have any inside information on him. There's very little that's being said about Dalton. So we'll continue to see. But that's an excellent question, and I'm glad that you asked about Dalton King because, again, we haven't seen much of him, including Devin Asiasi,

who's yet to practice because of the COVID designation. And you touched on that a little bit earlier. Yeah, it's unfortunate that they've signed these rookies and I mean it's unfortunate for a lot of rookies that got signed last year but for the rookies that have been signed and then not only to have lost a lot of time last year in regards to how COVID was setting everything up to then lose this year's training camp to COVID for Asi Asi and for injury for Dalton Keeney they haven't had a full sort of regular normal in inverted commas season for fans to really see what this player really is kind of thing and it's just been unfortunate that it hasn't only been one of

the tight ends that they signed it's been both of them which I suppose makes it even more you know significantly important that they signed two tight ends for us in pre-agency really so yeah well I'm not done with you yet oh you're not okay as we've sort of delved into tight endage we've delved into fallback I think the listeners would like to know just in general because we don't get the opportunity to fire questions at you quite often and you've been at training camp which obviously very exciting we're all completely envious of you so please do tell us what has surprised you so far in training camp that you've seen bear in mind there's only been one padded day we appreciate that but you know what can you tell us

now well considering it's training camp tight end thursday with a little fullback sprinkled in we'll keep it on that subject and uh i think one of the big surprises at the position has been troy fulmigali i think a lot of people uh you know really had some question marks about who this guy was you had mentioned earlier potential camp body and probably not much else. I'll be very honest with you. I kind of thought the same. But he came in with a little bit of NFL background, a little bit of pedigree, and I think just didn't get the chance that he needed in Denver. He's looked solid so far in camp. He's had some nice catches.

He's able to get open. He's got, you know, tremendous size at the position. Very, you know, very, absolutely very, very strong. And at that position, Troy can definitely, you know, he can go up and he can get the ball, shows a great amount of toughness. And I think that's something that is really, I think, endearing him to some of the media and some of the fans that have been in attendance. Now, is that going to be enough to get him a roster spot? I think there's, you know, the jury is still out on that.

You mentioned Matt Lacoste, and I think Matt has looked pretty comfortable out there as well. There have been some drops from him, but also I like the fact that he's out there running routes very well. To me, that's been really the standout for Matt lately is being able to run the routes effectively. He's had some issues with health, and he's had some issues with, I think, his utilization in New England. But when he's utilized properly and he's healthy, he can be an effective tight end. So once again, because we haven't seen Devin Asiasi yet, because we haven't seen Dalton Keene yet, there's a question mark about how effective these guys are going to be when they come out and are able to contribute on the field. Now, Asiasi, we keep hearing that there might be, you know, an imminent return to the field. We've still yet to see it. He put a picture of himself on Instagram earlier this week stating that, you know, he was going to be in Foxborough. So that got a lot of people excited that he may be ready to return. But don't forget, he needs to pass two positive, two, excuse me, two negative COVID tests after

obviously the positive designation within 24 hours of each other in order to be able to return to the field. So we're not sure what's happening there, but once that happens, he'll be out there and then we'll get a chance to see him. So Troy Fumagalli, Matt Lacoste have been good positive surprises. I think, again, maybe seeing Johnnie Smith carry the ball a little bit more and act as a fullback has been a little bit of a surprise to me. On the not-so-positive side, definitely I've been disappointed that I haven't had a chance

to see Dalton Keene out there on the field. I was looking forward to seeing what he could bring to the table, especially in the regards of the fullback position, because I know you were a big proponent of that. One of the first that suggested this could be the heir apparent to Jakob Johnson, maybe even the heir apparent to a guy like James Devlin. And you mentioned David Wells earlier. David has been out there mostly as a blocker, hasn't been making any type of wow performances, but he's been a solid camp body so far. So those are my observations, just, you know, purely over the top in terms of the tight end and the fullback position. But you're really going to chance, get really going to get a chance to see folks a lot of what these players can do now that the pads are on and keep a very special sharp eye on the Patriots' first preseason game coming up

this Thursday against the Washington football team. I look for some 12 personnel to be run out of that, and I look for Josh to really show what these players can do when they're locked in. Oh, completely. Before we wrap up, I want to throw one very quick question to you whilst we've still got the tight-endage hats on. How many do you think, this is just on the spot,

and this is purely opinion going forward because we've got such depth because there's you know there's such players that seem to be shining a little bit in training camp as we've we mentioned everybody's mentioned it still quite early but how many tight ends do you think they'll go through to on the 53 I originally slotted that the Patriots would carry four uh that they would carry four tight ends on this roster. I originally projected it would be John O'Smith, Hunter Henry, Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene, obviously with Jakob Johnson being the full time fullback. Based on what I'm seeing from the wide receivers, based on what I'm seeing from the other tight ends, I still think four is a solid number. I was tempted to say that they might carry five if they couldn't get production, solid production out of the wide receiver position.

But McKeel Harry has kind of put a wrench into my plans, believe it or not. He's looked very good in camp so far, had another solid day on, on Thursday really has looked good all week long. He's going up, making contested catches, looking tough, looking strong. If the Patriots are serious about wanting to hold on to him. And again, this jury is still out on that. There is still the trade request out there. We don't know what's going on behind the scenes. Both sides earlier this week seem to have some complimentary things to say about one another. Harry saying he'd be fine with being able to remain in New England. Bill Belichick saying that he's had good conversations with Nikhil.

If that means he's sticking around, Nikhil and Harry could end up taking on the role that sometimes a traditional tight end makes, getting open in the end zone, making plays going up, making tough contested catches in the open field. If that's the case, then the Patriots, I think, would probably carry no more than four tight ends. But if the wide receivers begin to struggle a little bit, you might see them maybe try to stash a fifth one on there. If that's the case, I would probably give the slight edge to Matt Lacoste in that regard, simply because I think he has more NFL experience than Troy Fumagalli. But Fumagalli has been a solid addition. If the Patriots can't bring him onto the roster, he might be a very good candidate for the practice squad.

And I think that would be a win for the New England Patriots. I agree. I want to sprinkle a little bit of a nugget left on towards the end in regards to how versatile Johnny Smith is. And you mentioned the wide receivers and that kind of thing, talking about numbers of how many to take forward. one thing that that might have sort of answer a bit of a question is why the Patriots didn't sign a what people call a number one wide receiver because Johnny has has shown how versatile he is it could be that they've looked at using him as this sort of more important receiver role and that's why they looked at signing him and Hunter Henry when he became available it's just the versatility that we're seeing of Smith is so extensive maybe that's what they've been I don't want to say designing the

offense around you know for want of a better word really um in regards to that kind of wide receiver role and stuff so i i mean obviously i'd be happy if they took sort of five times going forward but we all know why that i would be happy with that so yeah we'll just leave it at that and put a dot there shall we well i think that's a good point i think that uh you know with regard to why this team doesn't have a quote-unquote number one wide receiver, although I think Nelson Aguilar has been great in camp so far and has really established himself as the alpha of the group, he's still not a traditional true number one option in vain of some of the top wide receivers in the NFL right now.

The Patriots are going to be running a lot of 12-man personnel, and of course we know that that means two tight ends. And with that regard, it really is that type of an offense is predicated on a strong offensive line, a very strong running game, and using that 12-man personnel to open up play action. When you do that, there's a little bit less of an emphasis on having to have a number one receiver to take the top off the defense. So many fans love to see that because it's the wow factor. You want to see these dynamic touchdowns and leaping grabs and players sprinting down the sidelines for 70

yard, you know, 80 yard receptions. Yeah, that's, those are nice. Those are aesthetically pleasing. But when you look at how this offense is predicated, it really is predicated on using all of your options, not just a quote unquote number one wide out. So yeah, the signings of John Smith, Hunter Henry definitely factored into that. You look at the way the runners are with Damian Harris, Sonny Michelle, James White, all of these guys can contribute. And the offensive line doing the blocking up front makes things a lot easier for the

quarterback. So, you know, it's just, they all run hand in hand. But I think that's a good point and something that Patriots fans will see a lot more of as we get into the real thrust of training camp practices with pads. And then, of course, with preseason games starting next week. Yeah. Claire, this was fun. This was really, really fun. I really I enjoyed being on the hot seat.

I enjoyed kind of putting my feet up and not having to drive the bus. It was good to get a little break. But you drove the bus very well, but I'm going to park the bus today and just let everyone know that it is always my honor and my privilege to speak with you here on Locked On, Patriots. Thank you for lending your wisdom and counsel. Thank you for letting me lend my wisdom and counsel back to the show a little bit. Before I let you go, please let everyone, all of our listeners know

where they can find you, where they can find your great work and what we can look forward to in the coming days and weeks from the great pen and the great voice and giggle of Claire Classey, Claire Cooper. Well, you can find me each and every week at E2G Sports on One Patriot's Place with Steve and Murphs.

That's Steve Balistrieri and Thomas Murphy. That's every week, folks. A couple of times a month, you'll get me on my Eclair Perspective podcast that's brought to you by 4presscoverage.com. So it's around every two weeks. I haven't got a set schedule. It's just when I can get guests and when we've got something, you know, to chat about kind of thing. You'll find me at fullpresscoverage.com where I bring you my Eclair Perspective column every so often.

And I also write for the fabulous patspropaganda.com. And that's also where you'll find my tight-endage T-shirt. So, you know, get yourselves kitted out for summer, folks. That's patspropaganda.com. Absolutely. And highly recommend it all, all of the work that Claire does, including the t-shirts, folks. I do highly recommend checking it out.

This was a blast. Again, I always enjoy it. You know you're going to be back here on Locked On Patriots soon, and we look forward to it. But in the meantime, please continue to stay safe, stay well. And until next time, when we get to talk ball again, maybe a. But in the meantime, please continue to stay safe, stay well. And until next time, when we get to talk ball again, maybe a little deeper into the roster,

not just some of the tight endage the next time you join us here on Locked On Patriots. Thanks so much, Claire. Thank you, Mike. Thanks, everybody, for having me. It's been a blast. Just like that, Patriots fans,

we are almost through your work week, but there is still plenty of camp coverage left to come here on Locked On Patriots. So to ensure that you do not miss a single second of the action, download, subscribe to, and follow the Locked On Patriots podcast on platforms such as Spotify, the Odyssey app, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. Just make sure that you continue to stay locked in to Locked On Patriots. Once again, my name is Mike DeBate.

I thank my friend and colleague, Claire Clazzy Claire Cooper, for joining me here today on the pod, for her time, her insight, and for taking the interviewers, Mike, for a few minutes. But most of all, I thank you so much for listening and for continuing to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Until tomorrow, Pats Nation, stay safe, stay well, be the change that you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.