Report: New England Patriots Claim Tight End From Cardinals

The New England Patriots definitely need help at tight end. Rob Gronkowski’s departure was a big blow for the Patriots and the team struggled to replace the veteran. Several players stepped on the field as a replacement for Gronk, but their production was too low. This time the team will play without several key players, and the situation doesn’t look good at all.

Guess what… Head coach Bill Belichick has found a solution for the problem, and it comes in the shape of Arizona Cardinals tight end Jordan Thomas. The Patriots claimed Thomas off waivers from Arizona on Monday, but won’t be able to have him on the field in the game against the New York Jets.

The 2018 sixth-round pick measures at 6 feet 5, 277 pounds and has 22 receptions for 226 yards and five touchdowns in 25 career games. Thomas was able to catch 20 passes for 215 yards with four touchdowns in his rookie campaign in 2018.

Patriots to use a talented tight end

Houston selected Thomas and he worked under former head coach Bill O’Brien. He is also the former Patriots offensive coordinator, remember? Thomas will join the Patriots with some knowledge of their offense.

The tight end ran a 4.74-second 40-yard dash at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine. New England has Ryan Izzo and Dalton Keene on the tight end depth chart. The team placed Devin Asiasi and Jake Burt are on injured reserve.

Keene won’t play Monday due to the same knee injury that kept him on the sidelines in Week 8.

Dylan Cantrell, David Wells, and Charles Jones are also available for tryouts.

The Texans waived Thomas on Sept. 5. He joined Arizona’s practice squad Sept. 8. The tight end was signed to the Cardinals’ active roster Sept. 22 and waived Nov. 7. Thomas joined the Patriots’ active roster Tuesday with a roster exemption.

According to NESN.com, Thomas was a potential trade candidate for the Patriots in early September. New England deals with too many injuries at the moment. Hopefully, Belichick will find great replacements for his key players.