It took fewer than 48 hours for the New England Patriots to replace injured tight end Aaron Hernandez. According to sources, the Patriots have agreed to a one-year contract with former Pro Bowl tight end Kellen Winslow Jr.
It is no surprise the Patriots had interest in Winslow. New England brought him in for a visit two weeks ago and kept Winslow on the team's short list.
Hernandez suffered a right ankle injury in Sunday's loss to the Arizona Cardinals and is expected to miss at least a month, sources told ESPN on Monday.
Winslow brings many of the same skills to the table. He's an athletic tight end with good hands. This also allows New England to continue to run its vaunted two-tight end sets, with Winslow projected to team up with Pro Bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski.
This could mean bad news for WR Wes Welker, who continued to lose time until Hernandez got hurt. If Winslow is inserted right into New England's two TE set, Welker is likely to get the short end of the stick to WR Julian Edelman. Last week, in two TE, two WR sets, Welker got just 2 of 15 snaps.
Winslow would now be an interesting TE option for owners left short by the Hernandez injury. It's hard to imagine he'd step right in and be just as affective, but be sure to keep an eye on how this plays out leading up to the game.
Cardinals news
