As it turns out, tight end Tim Wright was more than just a throw-in chip in the New England Patriots' Logan Mankinstrade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Ian Rapoport noted on NFL Total Access last week that the Pats specifically requested Wright once negotiations got started. Essentially playing a different position than Rob Gronkowski, Wright is ticketed for the "move" tight end spot formerly occupied by Aaron Hernandez.
After just one preseason game, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is "really impressed" with the second-year pass-catcher.
"We just got him, and he was able to come in here and learn enough to be able to go out there and play for us in a preseason game for 40-some snaps or whatever it was," McDaniels said Tuesday, via MassLive.com. "He's working hard, certainly a bright kid and has some talent that hopefully we can utilize, and he just seems to fit in good and has a good attitude and work ethic. I'm just excited about seeing what we can do going forward."
As excited as McDaniels is to utilize Wright, playing time could be sporadic early in the season.
Over the last three years, the Patriots' use of two-tight-end sets has dwindled from 74 percent to 49 percent to 26 percent, per Football Outsiders' 2014 Almanac.
Bill Belichick's shenanigans notwithstanding, Gronkowski is healthy and raring to go entering the season.
If Wright is going to force his way onto the field, he will have to eat into the three-wide-receiver sets that have replaced two-tight-end personnel over the past couple of seasons. That is easier said than done on a roster chock-full of No. 2 receivers.
We will leave it to Tom Brady to sum up Wright's 2014 prospects in a Belichick-approved quote:
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