Patriots like their Tight Ends

In trading for Buccaneers tight end Alex Smith, the Patriots further load up at a position in which they already had strong numbers with five players.

The 6-foot-4, 258-pound Smith is considered a combination type tight end, who is a factor as a blocker and in the passing game, although he is not overly physical at the line of scrimmage and is more of a "move" option. His versatility should help the Patriots in both the running and passing games.

Bill Belichick's view on the trade: "That's something that has kind of been, I don't want to say in the works, but has been out there for a while," he said. "We just felt like, given the player and the situation and what the compensation was, it was something that we wanted to do. I feel like Alex is a good player. He's done a lot of different things for Tampa Bay -- in the passing game, in the running game, pass protection. Smart guy. Athletic. In Coach Gruden's offense, which they ran down there, you see him doing a lot of different things, lined up in different spots -- playing on the line, playing off the line, playing in motion, playing split out, different kind of routes and so forth they run. I think you see him with a versatile set of skills. Can play in the kicking game. Athletic. We'll see how all that comes together, but we felt at this point that it gives us good depth at that position and we felt like the compensation was fair, so we went ahead and did it."

Current TEs on Roster (with year contract expires):
Alex Smith (2009)
Chris Baker (2013, option bonus after 2010)
Benjamin Watson (2009)
David Thomas (2009)
Tyson DeVree (2010)
Brad Listorti (2009)

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