BY NICK ST. DENIS
When the New England Patriots released tight end Zach Sudfeld early last fall, they weren't totally prepared to say goodbye.
After three games, New England let Sudfeld hit the waiver wire with the hope that he would clear and end up on the practice squad, where the Patriots could continue to groom him and call him up when needed.
"When I was released, Bill [Belichick] said, basically, 'You gotta leave here but I’ll see you again tomorrow,'" Sudfeld said this week, via CSNNE.
The New York Jets had other ideas.
"But I got the call the next day that the Jets claimed me so in the span of 24 hours I’d gone from Bill’s office to on my way to New York."
It was an underrated loss for the Patriots, who saw a lot from the undrafted Sudfeld over the summer and were excited about him as a prospect.
Sudfeld went on to haul in just five receptions with the Jets, but his impact on the Patriots was much bigger. New England could have certainly used the 6-foot-7 pass-catcher down the stretch, being as thin as it was at the position.
The Jets should target tight end this year in either the draft or free agency, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to keep Sudfeld around. He has high upside, and the team needs to surround quarterback Geno Smith with as many big targets as possible.
And keeping him away from Tom Brady isn't necessarily a bad thing for the Jets, either.
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