The New England Patriots are on a roll. They have won five games in a row and have surged past the Buffalo Bills into first place in the AFC East.
Even with the recent successes, the Patriots still have some busts on their roster. Are the busts entirely related to failed draft picks or are some of them from poorly performing free-agent acquisitions. According to the panel of Heavy presents, I’m Just Saying, we see them coming from both groups.
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Join Heavy on Patriots!Heavy on Cardinals’ Ryan Sanudo identified Patriots tight end Jonnu Smith as the team’s biggest bust. He said:
Smith is in the first year in New England and yes, he had the shoulder injury, but like you said, he had dropsies early on. When I saw him in Tennessee, I mean he his ability speaks for itself. I mean after the catch you know in the red zone and Jonnu Smith as of right now this guy really hasn’t been putting it together. And guess what this guy makes what $12 million a year. As a New England Patriot, this has to be a big bust. I know the patriots are doing very well right now. They have a winning record you know, they get to play the Bills next, but let me tell you, Jonnu Smith is a very big bust in my opinion.
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Join Heavy on Patriots!Not everyone on the panel singled out Smith, most others went with the more obvious choice of N’Keal Harry, but Sanudo’s case against the Patriots’ tight end isn’t without merit.
Here is a look at the segment from IJS:
Hunter Henry is Making Jonnu Smith Look Bad
It is impossible not to compare Smith’s production to his teammate Hunter Henry. After all, both were paid well as free agents this offseason and they play the same position.
In reality, their situations are still different, despite the obvious similarities. However, in a vacuum, Henry’s 7 TD catches to 1 for Smith, as well as the 33 overall receptions to just 22 for the latter are facts that cannot be ignored.
It seems clear, the Patriots have found a definitive role for Henry and Smith seems like a guy who is just sort of running around.
What’s Up With Devin Asiasi?
Speaking of tight ends whose production has been inferior to Henry, let’s not forget about second-year player Devin Asiasi. It surely seems like the Patriots’ coaching staff has forgotten about him.
Asiasi is the player I tabbed as the guy in need of more snaps. Asiasi has appeared in just one game this season and he had only 12 snaps. It came against the Cleveland Browns in Week 10. The Patriots are a team with an offense predicated on their ability to run the football.
Because they don’t have a ton of dynamic wide receivers or a quarterback who is trusted to go down field a ton with his passes, it makes you wonder how effective a three-TE look with Harry as the only wide receiver might be.
The Patriots would have a ton of above-average blockers on the field, but in Smith and Harry, they would have receiving options with enough athleticism to be a downfield threat. Perhaps that’s a way to get Asiasi, Smith and Harry more involved.
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Patriots Free-Agent Acquisition Called Biggest Bust on 2021 Roster