UPDATE (4:43 p.m. ET): The New England Patriots officially released tight end Tim Wright after only one season.
ORIGINAL STORY: It appears the Tim Wright era in New England is over after less than a year.
The Patriots have released the 25-year-old tight end, a source told FOX Sports’ Mike Garafolo on Thursday. Wright caught six touchdown passes last season and was a viable red-zone target behind Pro Bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski.
Wright came to the Patriots in August 2014 along with a 2015 fourth-round pick — which New England used to draft defensive end Trey Flowers — in a trade that sent Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. At the time, Wright was seen as a capable backup and insurance policy for Gronkowski, whose 2013 season ended with a torn ACL. Gronk went on to have a successful, injury-free season, however, and New England added more tight end depth this offseason when it signed former Buffalo Bill Scott Chandler in March and ex-Washington Redskin Fred Davis in May.
It appears the additions of Chandler and Davis signaled the end for Wright, who will look to join his third team in three seasons. The Rutgers alum compiled 576 receiving yards and five touchdowns as a rookie for Tampa Bay in 2013.
The Patriots now will have five tight ends on their roster in Gronkowski, Chandler, Davis, rookie A.J. Derby and Michael Hoomanawanui entering next week’s three-day minicamp.
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
