Chris Baker, we hardly knew ye.
The Patriots continue to clean up the mistakes they made last offseason by dumping the guy they thought would step in and replace the production they lost at the tight end position when they let Daniel Graham go to the Denver Broncos.
It's safe to say Baker's tenure in New England was a disappointment. Maybe not on the level of Joey Galloway, but certainly in the same ballpark as past free agent disasters like Steve Martin or Marion Butts.
The Patriots are now definitely in the market for a tight end. Ben Watson, who retained his job as the primary tight end last season when it became clear that Baker was almost entirely useless, is a free agent and is unlikely to return. With Baker and Watson gone, the depth chart is basically empty.
Some in New England may be dreaming of a trade for disgruntled Chicago Bears tight end Greg Olsen, but I wouldn't count on it. Olsen is disgruntled because his new offensive coordinator doesn't feature tight ends in his passing game. The Patriots, at times, forget the tight end even exists.
No way he'd be happy in New England.
Plus, he can't block. One of the reasons the Patriots targeted Chris Baker was his ability to block. An ability, by the way, he lost after the third preseason game. As a matter of fact, his two touchdown performance in the preseason against the Eagles was the high-point of his season.
Which explains why he won't spend another season with the Patriots.
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