Aaron Hernandez is gone, so who's left for the Patriots? It's a fantasy question that will be asked plenty of times over the next several months, and Boston.com has some speculation today.
Jake Ballard is the tight end with the biggest resume, but he's not a downfield threat like Hernandez; he's the more likely inline tight end should Rob Gronkowski miss games. Yesterday we mentioned undrafted rookie Zach Sudfeld as having some receiving ability. New England could also choose to use more of wideout Julian Edelman.
Erik Frenz of Boston.com notes that another undrafted rookie, Brandon Ford, has the closest measurables to Hernandez; i.e., he's of similar size. Mostly his mention just highlights how much uncertainty there really is; investing too greatly in any of his potential replacements is a mistake.
New England might very well look outside the roster for a veteran free agent, although there's not much out there. People mention Dallas Clark, but Clark doesn't have much left, and the Patriots have struck out with other aging veterans in recent years (Joseph Addai, Kellen Winslow).
Trading for somebody on another roster is perhaps the most intriguing option, since they could target a player with a comparable skill set (not that there are many) who they believe can play the same kind of role.
More likely, though, the Patriots offense will simply be a little different, with more wideouts and running backs out of the backfield involved -- maybe more running, too.
--Andy Richardson