Patriots TE Mike Gesicki Leaves Practice With Injury

New England Patriots tight end Mike Gesicki projects as one of the club’s most exciting pass-catchers, as well as its top red zone threat.

FOXBORO — As the New England Patriots prepare to head west for a pair of joint practices with the Green Bay Packers, they will have their collective eyes focused on health of one of their most-prolific pass catchers

Tight end Mike Gesicki’s left Monday’s practice with the assistance of the club’s trainers after suffering an apparent arm injury during one-on-one tackling drill with linebacker Jahlani Tavai. The 27-year-old landed awkwardly on his right arm after Tavai attempted to tackle him. 

After spending his first five seasons with the Miami Dolphins, Gesicki signed a one-year, $4.5 million ($3.5 million guaranteed) contract with the Pats this offseason, which many have likened to a “prove-it” deal. Gesicki is a gifted pass catcher, possessing both the size and speed to be effective as a receiver out the slot, or even out wide — tasks which should be facilitated by playing within offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien’s schemes.

Despite a somewhat slow start to training camp, Gesicki has performed well over the past few practices. He has spent time aligning with the first-team offense — leading to a handful of impressive connections with quarterback Mac Jones. Like many of the other presumed Pats starters, the Penn State product did not play in the club’s 20-9 loss to the Houston Texans in their preseason opener.  

Logistically, Gesicki is a textbook fit in O'Brien's offense, which typically creates space and mismatches for bigger pass-catchers. Both Gesicki at 6-6, 247 and fellow tight end Hunter Henry at 6-5, 250, certainly meet the criteria. In fact, Gesicki’s ability to power his way into contested-catch situations will be particularly useful in the red zone. The Pats new tight end finished second among all tight ends in contested catches in both 2020 and 2021, earning 61 in both seasons combined.

While his prowess as an offensive target for Jones is evident, Gesicki falls outside the 'Patriot prototype' in his blocking abilities. In 2022, he served as either a run blocker or pass protector on just 20.6 percent of his offensive snaps for the Dolphins. Still, his pass-catching productivity will be sorely missed by the team, should he be forced to miss an extended period of time. 

In addition to Henry and Gesicki, the Pats also carry fellow tight ends Matt Sokol, Scotty Washington, Anthony Firkser and Johnny Lumpkin on their depth chart. 

The Patriots will travel to Wisconsin on Tuesday for joint practices with the Packers on Aug. 16 and Aug. 17. Their preseason game against Green Bay will take place at Lambeau Field on Aug. 19, 8 p.m. ET. 

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