Who is Timothy Wright and what does Logan Mankins being traded mean?

Newest Patriot tight end Tim Wright
Photo by Daniel Wallace
It would be a severe understatement to say that Patriots nation was shocked by the recent news that they have traded six time Pro Bowler Logan Mankins to the Buccaneers.

It is a tough trade for Patriot's fans to wrap their heads around because like most fans we become attached to players and Mankins was by all means a fan favorite. Unfortunately football is a business and it is vital that move past Mankins and look at how this is a positive for the team in the immediate and distant future.

Lets begin with what the Patriots received out of this deal. Twenty-four year old tight end Timothy Wright and a fourth round draft pick and salary relief from Mankins contract.

Now who is Timothy Wright?

Fans love comparisons so here is one for you. Timothy Wright has a similar skill set to Aaron Hernandez. He had a almost identical rookie season as Hernandez. Hernandez rookie season: 45 receptions, 563 yards and 6 touchdowns. Wright's rookie season: 54 receptions, 571 yards and 5 touchdowns.

Now it is not a guarantee that Josh McDaniels will use a two tight end set like they did when they had Gronk and Hernandez, but it definitely gives the offense flexibility and much needed depth at the tight end position.

The Patriots shopping for a tight end got analysts wondering whether it had anything to do with Gronkowski's progress, but it seems to be purely a depth and versatility move as well as a salary dump to a player that is on the decline.



Mankins is perceived by much of Patriots nation as being the best lineman that the Patriots have because he has been on the roster and been a cornerstone of their offensive line for so long but many don't realize that he had ten sacks given up last year. He has been on the decline and has been rated as one of the worst contracts in the NFL according to Overthecap.com.

Being able to dump a declining Mankins and his salary for a young talented tight end and a draft pick is a solid move for the Patriots future. The Patriots will roughly be dumping $6.75 million in base salary in '14, '15 and 2016, money that could be used for a future big signing (Revis? McCourty?).



This is by all means is an extremely tough trade for the Patriots and their fans, but it is a smart move for the Patriots. It gives the offense versatility and depth, while at the same time setting up the Patriots salary for potential moves in the future.

What do you think of the move?


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