Josh McDaniels: Shaping Pats' attack without Gronk a work in progress

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots' offense must reinvent itself in the wake of tight end Rob Gronkowski's retirement, and how it might ultimately look is one of the top storylines surrounding the team.

Even offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is curious to see what unfolds. He's like an artist with a blank canvas right now.

"Nobody's going to replace Rob. So it doesn't matter what we're doing, or who we bring in, that person is not just going to drop into the offense and say, 'OK, I've got his role covered.' That's not going to happen," McDaniels said. "I think what you do is take the best group you can put together, figure out what their strengths are, and try to play to them.

"So…