As of right now, the New England Patriots are very worried because their star tight end, Rob Gronkowski, will not return this season due to having back surgery to fix an injury suffered against the New York Jets last week. Gronk has existing injuries involving his ACL and arm. Now adding his back to that may cause a rise in concern for Patriots fans. This makes them begin to wonder if Gronk's days in New England are numbered. He is arguably the best tight end in the NFL right now, but his injuries are quite a concern. With Gronk out for the season, New England will have to look for players to step up in their chase for another Super Bowl. Their motto "Do Your Job" will come in effect once again as the Pats will ask their players to do exactly the same. I predict there will be five players whose roles and numbers will be increased due to Gronk's absence.
1. Malcolm Mitchell
Rookie wide receiver, Malcolm Mitchell, out of Georgia, has really emerged as a reliable wideout in the last couple games. He has scored a touchdown in his last two games, including a clutch touchdown near the end of the game against the Jets last week. He has become a target Tom Brady continues to throw every week. As a rookie, he will continue to learn from veterans like Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola and having one of the best head coaches in the NFL in Bill Belichick doesn't hurt either. With their best receiver being out expect the rookie to see a lot more passes being thrown his way.
2. Danny Amendola
Next up is veteran wide receiver, Danny Amendola. He has been a Patriot for a while now and has been one of Brady's reliable receivers since he signed with the Patriots after leaving the St. Louis Rams. This season, it appears that Amendola has been struggling as his targets and receptions seem to have taken a dip from previous years. With Gronk being injured and out for the season, expect Amendola to be more productive in the upcoming games and playoffs.
3. James White
The third Patriots player is running back, James White. In the beginning of the season, he played the Dion Lewis role as a multipurpose back that can catch and run. He became a key part of the offense as he continued to get more carries and throws to go his way. The beginning of the season, he had the second most receptions for the Patriots. With Dion Lewis fully recovered from his ACL injury, he will get some of his carries and receptions taken away. I see the Patriots using a two back set to help replace Gronk's production so they will need James White and Dion Lewis.
4. Dion Lewis
Running back, Dion Lewis, is the next person on the list. He tore his ACL last year but now he is back on the field to help the Patriots chase another super bowl. The Patriots have slowly eased him back into the team and when he is fully healthy, he will be the dangerous weapon he was last year before he got hurt. Of course, he will be sharing touches with James White as they will be both needed to replace Gronk's production. He is the best Patriots option that can run and catch so expect to see a lot of that this season.
5. Martellus Bennett
The final player is the player that will most likely benefit from Gronk's injury is fellow tight end, Martellus Bennett. He came to New England Via trade from the Chicago Bears and has been a great asset to the Patriots. In the games where Gronk didn't play this season, he has had great numbers even with games that Gronk played in. With Gronk being out, expect a lot of balls being thrown his way. He has already proven to New England that he can put up big numbers so he won't have any problems being their number one tight end. I see Martellus Bennett being one of the top tight ends this season.
Losing Rob Gronkowski will be a huge loss to the Patriots but if any team can adapt to a situation it is the Patriots. Expect this team to have several formations for their offense involving a lot of screens and passing a lot to the running backs. We will see if the Patriots can win the Super Bowl without Gronk. I think they are still one of the NFL's elite teams and will be on a lot of teams radar in the playoffs.
