When the New England Patriots selected Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez in the 2010 NFL Draft, the pairing of giant pass catchers was a rousing success for the team. The two combined for 56 touchdown receptions in their first three seasons with the team before Hernandez departed the NFL in the worst way imaginable.
Fred Davis is the latest tight end experiment for the Patriots
The Patriots once dominated the NFL with dual tight end sets, but haven’t been able to replace the production lost with Aaron Hernandez.
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The Patriots have tried to replicate that success at the tight end position by taking a chance on anyone the team can get its hands on, but not much success has come from it. Now the team is hoping that Fred Davis can be the redemption story that many tight ends who got shots in New England before him were unable to attain.
Davis and the Patriots agreed to a one-year deal on Monday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. It’s his first since his contract with Washington expired after the 2013 season. He then spent the entire 2014 year as a free agent serving a one-year suspension for multiple violations of the league’s substance abuse policy as well as a DUI and domestic violence incident.
Before his downward spiral, Davis was once an ascending piece for Washington and received the franchise tag in 2012. In the three seasons before he was franchised, Davis tallied 128 receptions for 1,621 yards and 12 touchdowns.
It's a long shot with players on the roster like Michael Hoomanawanui, Tim Wright and sixth-round draft pick A.J. Derby, but if Davis can replicate his former production, he could potentially provide the Patriots with a complement for Gronkowski that the team hasn't had since 2012.
The team’s inability to find another tight end is not for a lack of effort, either. The Patriots have had a revolving door at the position with mostly lackluster results:
Studs
Rob Gronkowski - Even with a history of injuries, including a broken forearm in 2012 and torn ACL in 2013, Gronkowski is well on his way toward being one of the greatest tight ends of all time. At age 26, he already has 54 touchdowns, a mark only 100 people have reached in NFL history. He’s on pace to smash some significant records and isn’t showing any signs of slowing down any time soon.
In 2014, Gronkowski accounted for 82 receptions for 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns, in addition to another 16 receptions and three touchdowns in the postseason, helping the team to a Super Bowl victory.
Duds
Kellen Winslow Jr. - After 218 receptions for 2,377 yards and 12 touchdowns in three seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Winslow was traded to the Seattle Seahawks, quickly released, and scooped up by the Patriots. That lasted all of one game in which he caught one pass for 12 yards.
Visanthe Shiancoe - A five-year free agent contract with the Minnesota Vikings worked out well for Shiancoe, who caught 24 touchdowns and racked up 2,424 receiving yards. While the Patriots knew they weren't getting Shiancoe at his best when they signed him at age 32 after that five-year run in Minnesota, the team must have had higher expectations than four games and zero receptions in his only season in New England.
Daniel Fells - In the three seasons before joining the Patriots, Fells tallied eight touchdowns with the St. Louis Rams and Denver Broncos. In 2014, he managed to haul in four touchdowns for the New York Giants. The lone unproductive year in between was when he caught just four passes for the Patriots.
Jake Ballard - The Patriots pulled a fast one and snagged Ballard from the Giants when he was placed on the injured reserve in 2012 after tearing his ACL in the Super Bowl. After a year on the sideline, Ballard never returned to the form that he had when he tallied 608 receiving yards and four touchdowns for the Giants in 2011, and he was released by the Patriots just before the 2013 season.
Somewhere in between
Michael Hoomanawanui - The only tight end besides Gronkowski to actually stick with the Patriots has been Hoomanawanui, although he hasn’t produced tremendous receiving stats. In three seasons with the team, he has 20 receptions for 289 yards and one touchdown, but received a new contract with the team last offseason thanks to his skills as a blocker.
Aaron Hernandez - Saying Hernandez had off-the-field issues is obviously putting it very lightly. He was sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder and has a double homicide trial on the way, but when he was on the field, he was the perfect complement to Gronkowski. He racked up 175 receptions and 18 touchdowns in just three seasons with the Patriots before it all went downhill.
Tim Wright - Acquired as part of the trade that sent Logan Mankins to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Wright had six touchdowns for the Patriots in 2014. More of a giant wide receiver than a tight end, Wright has potential to continue to grow into a pass-catching threat for New England at age 25.
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