Earlier this offseason, the New England Patriots saw longtime star tight end Rob Gronkowski retire after 10 NFL seasons. Gronkowski's retirement obviously leaves a major hole in New England's lineup, but the Patriots have yet to really replace him. The only tight ends currently on their roster are Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Matt LaCosse, Stephen Anderson, and Ryan Izzo.
They appear on the verge of getting that Gronk replacement soon though, and it's one that should be familiar to Patriots fans. After reports emerged that Benjamin Watson intended to un-retire, the former Patriots tight end scheduled meetings with several teams. But per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Watson plans to sign with the Patriots. Watson, who played for the Saints this past season, has been retired for less than four months.
Former #Patriots TE Benjamin Watson is planning to sign back with New England again, I’ve been told. There are a few issues to work through, but those won’t hold up the deal. The former first round pick will be back home.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 9, 2019
ESPN's Adam Schefter adds that Watson's deal will be for one year and $3 million.
Watson was originally a first-round pick of the Patriots back in 2004. He played for New England until 2009 and has spent the last decade bouncing from the Cleveland Browns to the Saints to the Baltimore Ravens and back to the Saints again.
He is obviously not as high-level a target as Gronkowski in the passing game but he is a reliable blocker and someone with whom the Patriots are familiar, and he is familiar with their offensive system as well. New England's offense is going to have to change without Gronkowski no matter what, but having someone with the institutional knowledge of the system and, presumably, the trust of Tom Brady, can make the transition a bit smoother.
