New Patriots tight end Mike Gesicki faces former team
Former Dolphins tight end takes on Miami this Sunday
Mike Gesicki signed a one-year, $9 million deal with the New England Patriots this offseason. His role as a number two tight end next to Hunter Henry and a threat in the red zone is expected to be impactful. After three successful seasons with the Miami Dolphins, his production went down under head coach Mike McDaniel in his final year.
The now former Dolphin gets to face off his old team in week two. From 2019-2021 Gesicki had over 50 receptions with 85 or more targets each season. However, last year he only saw 52 targets and had 32 receptions. With the addition of Tyreek Hill and the emergence of Jaylen Waddle, Gesicki took a backseat under the new Miami offense.
The 27-year-old tight end remained professional this morning when asked at his press conference if this week meant even more to him given his time with Miami. “I was excited last week, I’m excited this week,” said Gesicki.
It is hard to believe that Gesicki will not have extra motivation to show how he can impact the game.
McDaniel last December took responsibility for the lack of production and targets for Gesicki. “He’s a good player and I don’t get him involved enough. I think he’s a pro and it’s been a rough set of circumstances,” said McDaniel. The second year head coach will be going up against the Patriots for the third time in his career after splitting his first two game last year.
While behind Henry (5 receptions for 56 yds.), Gesicki got involved in his first Patriots game as well. He hauled in all three of his targets for 39 yards. It is clear Bill O’Brien wants to involve both tight ends on a weekly basis. This was a personnel strategy when he first had the offensive coordinator position with New England back in 2011.
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