Should the Patriots re-sign Michael Hoomanawanui?
This time last year the New England Patriots had perhaps the most dynamic tandem of tight ends the NFL has ever seen in Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. With one in a wheelchair and one behind-bars, the Patriots have been forced to move forward this year with a new tight end grouping, led by Michael Hoomanawanui and supported by Matthew Mulligan and D.J Williams.
While none of these three players are nearly as talented as Gronkowski or Hernandez, Hoo-man has been the most productive career pass-catcher of the group, and had a touchdown grab worthy of the Sportscenter Top 10 in week fifteen's loss to Miami. On the year, the 4th-year tight end has 12 catches (one short of his previous season high) on 19 targets for 136 yards and one TD. This comes in thirteen games, after he missed three games in the middle of the season with a knee injury.
Career Statistics (from ESPN.com):
The 2013 New England offense has looked entirely different than recent years, largely due to the absence of Gronkowski and Hernandez. A passing game that once ran through the tight-ends now rarely targets the position, and on the rare occasion Brady does throw to one; his most trusted target left is Hoomanawanui.
While not a superstar talent like Gronk or Hernandez, Hoomanawanui has been an affordable and reliable player since joining the Patriots in September of 2012, shortly after he was cut by the St. Louis Rams, who drafted him out of Illinois in the 5th round of the 2010 draft. While the Patriots off-season is still (hopefully) at least a couple of weeks away, Hoo-man will be a player the Patriots will need to resign for more money in the off-season for more money, or cut ties with him and upgrade at the position through the draft or free-agency.
In a perfect world, Hoo-man is a role playing, serviceable and inexpensive tight-end backing up Rob Gronkowski on the depth chart. But Gronk can't stay on the field, making the role more significant and important to the team. This past off-season, Hoomanawanui restructured his one-year deal with the team. Here is a breakdown of the incentive-laden contract (from ESPN.com):
Base salary
$630,000
Split
$358,000 (for full season if he lands on reserve list)
Incentives
$125,000 if he plays 25 percent of snaps
$250,000 if he plays 35 percent of snaps
$370,000 if he plays 45 percent of snaps
Despite missing three games to injury, Hoo-man was on the field for 55% of the team's snaps this year, therefore cashing in fully on the incentives laid out in the restructured deal. This brought the total payout to 1 million dollars, obviously not breaking the bank for the Patriots.
The team could look to find a tight end in April's draft. North Carolina's Eric Ebron (though he would likely not fall to the late-round position the team should be in), and Iowa's C.J Fiedorowicz are two names who have been tied to the team in early draft speculation. Mike Loyko, Editor of NEPatriotsDraft.com, recently tweeted that he sees Fiedorowicz as the player in the 2014 draft with the highest likelihood of being a Patriot come 2014.
All of that being said, I believe Hoo-man is a player the Patriots like alot and can be retained for a similar deal to the one he signed this past off-season. His affordability and familiarity with the system make it a logical decision for the team to resign him in the Spring, especially taking into consideration the complete unpredictability of Rob Gronkowski's availaibility and future.
Should the Patriots re-sign Michael Hoomanawanui? Vote in the poll below and let us know what you think on Twitter: @PatriotsLife.
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| Winslow Townson/Getty Images |
While none of these three players are nearly as talented as Gronkowski or Hernandez, Hoo-man has been the most productive career pass-catcher of the group, and had a touchdown grab worthy of the Sportscenter Top 10 in week fifteen's loss to Miami. On the year, the 4th-year tight end has 12 catches (one short of his previous season high) on 19 targets for 136 yards and one TD. This comes in thirteen games, after he missed three games in the middle of the season with a knee injury.
Career Statistics (from ESPN.com):
| Year | Team | GP | REC | YDS | AVG | YDS/G | LONG | TD | 20+ | 40+ | 1st | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | STL | 8 | 13 | 146 | 11.2 | 18.2 | 36 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 2011 | STL | 8 | 7 | 83 | 11.9 | 10.4 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 2012 | NE | 14 | 5 | 109 | 21.8 | 7.8 | 41 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 2013 | NE | 13 | 12 | 136 | 11.3 | 10.5 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 43 | 37 | 474 | - | 11 | 41 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 24 | 0 |
The 2013 New England offense has looked entirely different than recent years, largely due to the absence of Gronkowski and Hernandez. A passing game that once ran through the tight-ends now rarely targets the position, and on the rare occasion Brady does throw to one; his most trusted target left is Hoomanawanui.
While not a superstar talent like Gronk or Hernandez, Hoomanawanui has been an affordable and reliable player since joining the Patriots in September of 2012, shortly after he was cut by the St. Louis Rams, who drafted him out of Illinois in the 5th round of the 2010 draft. While the Patriots off-season is still (hopefully) at least a couple of weeks away, Hoo-man will be a player the Patriots will need to resign for more money in the off-season for more money, or cut ties with him and upgrade at the position through the draft or free-agency.
In a perfect world, Hoo-man is a role playing, serviceable and inexpensive tight-end backing up Rob Gronkowski on the depth chart. But Gronk can't stay on the field, making the role more significant and important to the team. This past off-season, Hoomanawanui restructured his one-year deal with the team. Here is a breakdown of the incentive-laden contract (from ESPN.com):
Base salary
$630,000
Split
$358,000 (for full season if he lands on reserve list)
Incentives
$125,000 if he plays 25 percent of snaps
$250,000 if he plays 35 percent of snaps
$370,000 if he plays 45 percent of snaps
Despite missing three games to injury, Hoo-man was on the field for 55% of the team's snaps this year, therefore cashing in fully on the incentives laid out in the restructured deal. This brought the total payout to 1 million dollars, obviously not breaking the bank for the Patriots.
The team could look to find a tight end in April's draft. North Carolina's Eric Ebron (though he would likely not fall to the late-round position the team should be in), and Iowa's C.J Fiedorowicz are two names who have been tied to the team in early draft speculation. Mike Loyko, Editor of NEPatriotsDraft.com, recently tweeted that he sees Fiedorowicz as the player in the 2014 draft with the highest likelihood of being a Patriot come 2014.
All of that being said, I believe Hoo-man is a player the Patriots like alot and can be retained for a similar deal to the one he signed this past off-season. His affordability and familiarity with the system make it a logical decision for the team to resign him in the Spring, especially taking into consideration the complete unpredictability of Rob Gronkowski's availaibility and future.
Should the Patriots re-sign Michael Hoomanawanui? Vote in the poll below and let us know what you think on Twitter: @PatriotsLife.
