The Patriots are on the Verge of Signing Former Jets TE Jordan Leggett, a Huge Patriots Guy

Seth Wenig. Shutterstock Images.

Last week I posted about the Patriots reported interest in three-time Pro Bowl tight end Delanie Walker:

And while he's still available and with Bill Belichick currently doing a Scrooge McDuck-like backstroke through an Olympic-sized swimming pool full of cap space he suddenly has, I'm not ruling it out. 

But for now, we get Jordan Leggett. A 6-foot-5, 258-pound blocking tight end who won a National Title at Clemson before being taken by the Jets in the fifth round of 2017. After he losing his rookie season to a knee injury, he played 15 games for the Jets and produced:

• Targets: 24
• Receptions: 14
• Yards: 114
• Touchdowns: 1

With three of those catches and 31 of those yards coming in two losses to New England. He spent last year on the Buccaneers practice squad before finally losing his roster spot to a combination of Rob Gronkowski and the league mandated cutdown from 90 players to 80. And make no mistake, calling Leggett a "blocking tight end" is not a perjorative. In his one full season, Pro Football Focus had him graded as the 25th best run blocking tight end in the league. So while I was hoping Walker would come in to fill a role as a leader/mentor for two rookie tight ends the way Alge Crumpler did for Rob Gronkowski and whatshisname in 2010, it seems most likely Leggett will fill a Michael Hoomanawanui role, as a third tackle type inline TE in the power run game and short yardage situations. And that's fine. Ideally I'd still rather have a first option in the passing game as Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene begin their shakedown cruise. But on the other hand, that production he had in 2018 is still more than the Pats' entire tight end room has in their combined pro careers. 

And on the other, other hand, no one is happier about this (soon to be) news than Leggett himself:

How can you not appreciate a man who was Tweeting out essentially the same things you were back when he was like 19 years old? When he was just a kid, but totally on board with the playoff run after the 2013 season and feeling all the feelings you were in the run-up to the biggest win of the Dynasty, Super Bowl XLIX. And who, during the draft, was dreaming of wearing the uniform he'll get to put on as soon as he gets cleared by medical. 

Leggett even shares my lack of Photoshop skills? When this guy gets here I'll need someone to check to see if he's wearing the other half of this amulet I've had around my neck since birth. Imagine wanting to be a Patriot so bad, having your dreams dashed by the Jets, come so close to having Tom Brady as your quarterback, have that dream taken away from you too, only to have it all come true in mid-August of your fourth year in the league. 

I'm not going to oversell Jordan Leggett as the answer to all our issues at a key offensive spot. But find me another guy who's more motivated to work, make the roster and contribute than someone who's been an unrepentant Patriots fan his whole life and is finally getting the shot he's always wanted. I'm totally on board with this.

As for Darius Kilgo, sure. Let's see what he's got. There's always room in the middle of the Patriots line for a big space-eating (6-foot-3, 315 lb) tackle if he works out. It took Danny Shelton a season before he really figured it out, but Kilgo has the advantage of a season on the practice squad for the Super Bowl LI champs in 2016, so maybe his learning curve won't be so steep. And when you see the way they've been able to develop Lawrence Guy and Adam Butler as productive rotational guys, give Kilgo another chance to stick and see if he's got enough sand in his pants to make contributions.  Not that it's the most important factor, but if he happened to have been a Patriots fanboy as a kid, that'll help too.