One of the only positions that was not much of a concern for the New England Patriots heading into the offseason was tight end. They already re-signed Hunter Henry last spring, and they also re-upped with Austin Hooper as the No. 2 tight end this past March.
As a result, the Patriots seem pretty set at the position going into 2025, but there is one clear issue there: both Henry and Hooper are on the wrong side of 30.
With New England in rebuilding mode, it would certainly be nice to have a cheap, young tight end to build with moving forward, and some have identified third-stringer Jaheim Bell as that guy.
The Pats selected Bell in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and during his rookie campaign, he logged just two catches for 20 yards. However, he had a solid collegiate career between South Carolina and Florida State, and due to his athleticism, there is plenty of reason to like him as a prospect.
The problem for Bell is that his future in Foxborough is hardly set in stone. Again, he was picked at the back end of the draft, and he has proven nothing on the professional level thus far. That's why this is a pretty big offseason for the 24-year-old.
Unfortunately, Bell has not exactly been making a significant impression in training camp, and Brian Hines of Pats Pulpit revealed that he had a particularly rough day on Monday.
"Tough day for tight end Jaheim Bell, who caught one of four targets and had multiple drops," Hines wrote.
That's obviously not a great way to establish yourself as a key piece of the roster, and it may very well put his spot in jeopardy when it comes time for Mike Vrabel to break things down to 53 men.
Fortunately, there is still plenty of time for Bell to get himself right, but he better start producing quickly.
