The New England Patriots started the 2017 regular season with three tight ends on the active roster, and outside of a two-game spell, three remained the depth chart’s magic number by the finish of it.
But there was another tight end around from Week 6 through Super Bowl LII.
Will Tye could’ve been signed off the practice squad at any time. Only Rob Gronkowski’s one-game suspension wasn’t enough to crack that window. The re-claimed Martellus Bennett’s placement on injured reserve wasn’t either.
Tye remained where he began on Oct. 12 instead. And while that doesn’t inspire much confidence in his prospects moving forward, it does little to dim the intrigue.