Patriots Sign TE Mike Gesicki: Red Zone Option?

FOXBORO – The New England Patriots continued their remodeling of an offense which struggled mightily in 2022 by signing free agent tight end Mike Gesicki.

The one-year deal struck on Friday morning, reportedly worth up to $9 million, pries him from their rival Miami Dolphins and adds him to the Foxboro fold.

On the surface, Gesicki's signing immediately upgrades the Pats' offense. The 27-year-old is a gifted pass catcher, who has hauled in 62.4 percent of his passes during his five-year tenure in Miami. He possesses both the size and speed to be effective as a receiver out the slot, or even out wide. 

The Penn State product is a seemingly strong fit in an archetypal Bill O’Brien offense. The ex-Nittany Lions head coach, who recruited Gesicki to the University, features a system based on ball protection, efficient running and spreading the ball to multiple pass catchers -- three skills for which the 2022 Patriots' offense was lacking. 

Though O'Brien left Penn State prior to Gesicki taking his first collegiate snap, he always remained complimentary of the player he will finally get the chance to coach.

Gesicki was unable to find comfortable footing under coach Mike McDaniel’s scheme in Miami last season. As a result, he logged only 32 catches for 362 yards with five touchdowns. Still, the Penn State product compiled 1,483 receiving yards in 2020 and 2021 (combined) and has 18 touchdowns since 2019.

By comparison, Patriots tight ends have found the end zone just 15 times over the past four seasons, with Hunter Henry responsible for nine of them in 2021.

In short, the Pats red zone woes should be somewhat alleviated by Gesicki’s presence.

Conversely, Henry is expected to benefit from his new teammate, as well. The 28-year-old finished the 2021 season having compiled 603 yards on 50 catches with the aforementioned nine touchdowns. Though his numbers dipped a bit during his second year with the Pats, he still held atop the depth chart at the position with 41 catches for 509 yards and two touchdowns.

While his prowess as an offensive target for quarterback Mac Jones is evident, Gesicki falls outside the 'Patriot prototype' in his blocking abilities. In 2022, he served as either a run blocker or pass protector on just 20.6 percent of his offensive snaps for the Dolphins. 

In contrast, the recently traded Jonnu Smith was deployed as a run blocker on 56.9 percent of his snaps in 2022. When tasked as a receiver, Smith finished the season 27 catches for 245 yards and zero touchdowns. Smith is now a member of the Atlanta Falcons, while Gesicki is on route to New England. 

Pairing Henry alongside a prototypical ‘move’ tight end like Smith was expected to allow the Patriots to run 12-man personnel, featuring two equally potent tight end options. Combined with a sizable offensive line and a capable running game, New England was expected to excel in several play action schemes: reminiscent of O’Brien’s days of coaching the prolific tandem of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.

Unfortunately, that was seldom the case. The duo only shared the field for 18.6 percent of New England’s offensive snaps in 2021, and a mere 18 percent in 2022.

It is important to remember that Henry and Gesicki are not a like-for-like replacement duo for Gronkowski and Hernandez. The former’s ability as a blocker has been well-documented, giving him a skill that sets him apart from those who are considered the greatest to play the position. Neither Henry, nor Gesicki are known for their blocking ability, leaving some to speculate that New England may look to add a skilled blocker to the position.

However, having two formidable pass-catchers on the field at the same time does have its advantages.

While O'Brien's knack for scheming his tight ends open should help to unlock the potential for New England’s new tandem of ‘tight endage,’ it could also mean additional pass catching opportunities for running backs Rhamondre Stevenson and newly acquired James Robinson.

As a result, such designs force the defense to acknowledge a true “run” side, while also defending multiple receiver formations. When the tight ends are the furthest players out on the formation, the 12-personnel allows them to become sizable pass catchers, while the back becomes a threat to carry out of the backfield or run on a jet sweep.

Typically, O’Brien has preferred schemes which create space and mismatches for his bigger pass-catchers. Both Henry at 6-5, 250 and Gesicki at 6-6, 247 certainly meet the criteria. In fact, Gesicki’s ability to power his way into contested-catch situations will be particularly useful in the red zone. The Pats new tight end finished second among all tight ends in contested catches in both 2020 and 2021, earning 61 in both seasons combined. New England ranked last in the NFL in red zone productivity in 2022. 

The addition of Mike Gesicki may not solve all of New England's scoring woes. However, his addition, along with that of wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, shows that a new day is coming for the Pats offense in 2023. 

Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL and Listen/Subscribe to his daily podcast: Locked On Patriots

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