This offseason, the New England Patriots lost a tight end to the Cincinnati Bengals, but in the process, they recently acquired a former Bengals tight end.
Although adding tight end Mitchell Wilcox to the roster on Monday will add depth, the Bengals’ acquisition of Mike Geisicki will still be felt. In 2020, Wilcox, a South Florida native, was a free agent without draft selection and spent four seasons as a Bengal. In nine games with Cincinnati, he had 29 catches for 211 yards and a score.
A deeper bench of tight ends would be helpful for New England before Thursday’s draft. La’Michael Pettway, Hunter Henry, and Austin Hooper are the Patriots’ current roster players.
In 2023, Wilcox signed a one-year, $1.04 million contract with the Bengals, although he only made four appearances. But in each of the last three seasons, the Bengals have employed him on special teams at least 56% of the time.
Last year, the Patriots fielded a weak offense that posted 13.9 points per game and 295.2 yards per game. Tight ends allotted for a significant amount of the passing attack amid 84 catches for 871 yards and nine touchdowns overall.
Most of that came from Henry, who had 42 receptions for 419 yards and six touchdowns. Geisicki didn’t live up to expectations amid 29 catches for 244 yards and two touchdowns, and Pharaoh Brown had 13 catches for 208 yards and a touchdown.
Despite Geisicki’s dropoff from his Miami Dolphins tenure, the Bengals signed him to a one-year, $2.5 million deal. Geisicki had 231 catches for 2,617 yards and 18 touchdowns in five seasons with the Dolphins.
Patriots Could Also Turn to Bengals in WR Search
Mitchell may not be the last Bengals player to join the Patriots as wide receiver Tee Higgins has been linked to New England in trade rumors. Higgins asked for a trade this offseason amid a contract dispute and receiving the franchise tag.
The Bengals will pay Higgins $21.81 million this year on the tag. He could command up to $18.6 million annually or a four-year, $74.4 million deal per Spotrac.
Despite the persistent rumours of a trade, Higgins recently stated he expects to return to the Bengals this season. On April 14, he discussed it during his football camp.
“I do expect it,” Higgins stated to WXIX-TV. “I never thought I would adore Cincinnati as much as I do. [I’m] eager to get started.
Additionally, New England has been looking to upgrade at wide out after their poor passing game yielded only 16 touchdowns overall, with only five coming from receivers. Despite having 49 catches for 561 yards, Demario Douglas, the Patriots’ top receiver in 2023, did not have any touchdowns.
