One of the weakest parts of the Patriots' roster in recent years has been their inability to add reliable and explosive players to the offense for their quarterbacks to work with. It could be argued that the issue persisted even when Tom Brady was around, but his ability to elevate the talent around him to new heights allowed the offense to thrive regardless, which has not been the case with the quarterbacks since.
Bill Belichick appeared to try to fix the issue during the 2021 season, after a chaotic year with Cam Newton under center, by going on a shopping spree during free agency that saw the additions of receiver Kendrick Bourne and tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith. All became significant parts of the offense's success that year, and to this day, except Smith, who never seemed to integrate properly into their game plan.
It [eventually led to the Patriots trading him to the Falcons in 2023](https://musketfire.com/patriots-could-have-solved-big-roster-problem-by-not-trading-offensive-weapon-01jem2xwnp09), where he went on to prove why he was a desirable free agent a few years prior, and then put together the best season of his career with the Dolphins last season.
Because the team has struggled to find a suitable partner for Henry to work with since trading Smith, there's plenty of reason to believe that perhaps they gave up on him a bit too quickly, especially if you look at how he destroyed their defense in last season's matchups with Miami.
Jonnu Smith's post-Patriots success is not something they can ignore
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The Patriots got an up-close and personal view of what Smith was capable of last year in two games against the Dolphins, in which the tight end had no trouble outworking their defense. He recorded 14 receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown in those games, looking as explosive as ever and the kind of player Belichick hoped for back in 2021.
That was part of an impressive lone season with the AFC East rival, as he totaled 88 receptions for 884 yards and eight touchdowns on the year, which eventually led to the Dolphins trading him to the Steelers earlier this week.
It was [a display of what could have been in New England](https://musketfire.com/posts/4-players-who-didn-t-live-up-to-the-hype-or-price-tag-during-time-with-the-patriots) had Belichick brought in legitimate offensive coordinators, not named Matt Patricia, for Smith to be coached by and utilized correctly in the offense. However, instead, he will be thriving for an old Patriots foe moving forward.
Although they appear to have found a solid player in Austin Hooper, he's not a long-term answer at the position, and second-year player Jaheim Bell hasn't stood out in any positive way since he was drafted last year. So it looks like the Patriots will be looking for another tight end next offseason to join Henry, as well as his future replacement.
They could have solved that issue by using Smith to his best potential, but they'll have to look elsewhere instead.
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