As soon as veteran offensive lineman Greg Van Roten signing with the New England Patriots as a free agent was reported, one logical question was raised: what would the follow-up move be to keep the team under the offseason roster limit? We now know that it was waiving tight end Mitch Van Vooren.
Let's **** yze what the move means (for the same breakdown about Van Roten, please click here).
The Patriots used 29 players on the offensive side of the ball in their preseason opener against the Colts last Thursday, and not one of them was on the field for fewer snaps than Van Vooren. The second-year tight end played just three snaps on the night without registering any statistics; he also played a pair of snaps on special teams as well.
His lack of quality opportunities in that game and pretty much ever since he arrived in New England ahead of training camp made it pretty clear that the 25-year-old was facing a major uphill battle not just for the 53-man roster but the practice squad as well. Him being let go now in response to the Van Roten signing is therefore no real surprise.
With Van Vooren out of the picture, the Patriots' active tight end group now stands at just five players deep.

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