Bruce Kluckhohn- USA TODAY SPORTS
Going into last night’s preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles, most people thought that Jake Ballard would step in as the primary tight end on the roster with Rob Gronkowski hurt. It was also thought that Michael Hoomanawanui would spell him occasionally, leaving Daniel Fells for leftover blocking duties.
That line of thinking all changed on Friday night when the New England Patriots featured Fells both early and often in the game. Throughout the course of the night, Fells developed a nice rapport with backup QB Ryan Mallett, catching all three passes that came his way for a total of 27 yards. He had a nice game as a blocker as well.
Ballard, meanwhile, did not catch a single pass in the game despite being on the field much longer than Fells. Rookie Zach Sudfeld had a nice game himself, catching one pass for 22 yards. Unfortunately for him, his lack of NFL experience should prevent him from carving a starting role at TE in his rookie year. With that said, if Hoomanawanui or Fells were to get hurt, Sudfeld would have the opportunity to shine in the offense.
With Fells’ ability to both catch and block and with Gronkowski on the mend for the foreseeable future, he may have opened up some eyes on Friday night. His impressive play may earn him some extra reps with the first unit this coming week. If he continues to impress, he may surpass Ballard on the depth chart before the start of the season.
Fells already has the support of Josh McDaniels and Bill Belichick, dating all the way back to when he was with the St. Louis Rams. If he continues to make plays throughout the preseason, he could be a guy that the Patriots could lean on in 2013.
Who would you most like to see start the season as the no. 1 TE (excluding Gronk)? Daniel Fells? Jake Ballard? Zach Sudfeld? Michael Hoomanawanui? Tim Tebow? Feel free to comment on the subject in the “comments” section below.
