Meet Tim Wright

Every time I think of a WR transitioning to TE, I'll always be reminded of this book excerpt posted on Deadspin, written by Nate Jackson, former WR turned TE. The gist of what is so eye opening to me is that his body simply broke down as he added on the extra muscle mass (to play TE) and then tried to run and cut as he had as a much lighter WR. He had serious pelvis and hamstring issues which are implied to have resulted at least partially from his "new" TE sized body adding too much stress to his frame.

Admittedly, his condition was also exacerbated by the pressure of "can't make the club from the tub" and instances where he pushed the limits beyond what was best for his health.

Also - I'm not directly insinuating anything about Wright, except that he too is a WRish TE. I know nothing about him, and hope he pans out as an added element to the offense.

Wright only had one drop last year:

https://twitter.com/JPSTATS/status/504375142273675264

I was just discussing Tim Wright with someone on here the other day...can't remember who.

He has some talent, no doubt about it. I'm not happy about losing Mankins, but it may allow us to keep Revis/McCourty.

Wright did make MMQB's All Emerging Offense in February:

Tight End
Tim Wright, Buccaneers

Wright is a converted wide receiver, and it shows. He has the quickness, change-of-direction skills and stop/start control to consistently beat one-on-one coverage from an X-iso receiver position or the slot. The beauty is, because the 6-4, 220-pounder is a tight end, he’s often facing linebackers in those one-on-one scenarios. That could change this year if Lovie Smith and new coordinator Jeff Tedford are less committed to the run than Tampa Bay’s previous staff. But even if Wright is facing safeties or backup corners, he can still blossom into a top-five receiving tight end by the end of his second season.

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NFL offensive players who will emerge in 2014 | MMQB

@MoveTheSticks: Tim Wright was impressive when I attended Bucs practice. He can really stretch the field. Mankins will be a HUGE upgrade for Bucs interior.

I like his stats coming out of Tampa, though I admit I really don't know much about him. 220 is pretty freaking light for a TE. Nowadays 240 is pretty light for a tight end. So undersized wouldn't be an exaggeration, even for a move TE he may be considered undersized.

Patriot Missile said:

I like his stats coming out of Tampa, though I admit I really don't know much about him. 220 is pretty freaking light for a TE. Nowadays 240 is pretty light for a tight end. So undersized wouldn't be an exaggeration, even for a move TE he may be considered undersized.

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I understand and share your concerns. I do feel as though he'll be a better blocker than most of the WRs, but not quite what we need for a TE.

He does have a big frame, so I'm assuming that there's certainly room for an additional 10-15 lbs rather quickly. He could be a much better player down the stretch in terms of blocking ability.

In the meantime, we still have Gronk/Hooman as our main blockers as well, and this can finally put to rest the ridiculous projections about Brandon LaFell playing TE.

Patriot Missile said:

I like his stats coming out of Tampa, though I admit I really don't know much about him. 220 is pretty freaking light for a TE. Nowadays 240 is pretty light for a tight end. So undersized wouldn't be an exaggeration, even for a move TE he may be considered undersized.

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Do you really think Wright weighs 220lbs right now? He worked out as a WR at his pro day. Since then he converted to TE and trained with a NFL strength and conditioning staff.

Serious question to all those who keep referring to him as 220lbs - have you gained any weight in the last 18 months?

Wright is a viable replacement for Aaron Hernandez at 10% of the cost. Oh and without the 3 homicides.

I love Mankins and all he did for the team but I like the trade overall. Mankins was not going to be here next year, we know from his last contract negotiation he was not taking a pay cut and we were not going to pay him another $11M in 2015. We accelerated the inevitable and did it on our own terms recouping some value in the process.

Brady6 said:

Do you really think Wright weighs 220lbs right now? He worked out as a WR at his pro day. Since then he converted to TE and trained with a NFL strength and conditioning staff.

Serious question to all those who keep referring to him as 220lbs - have you gained any weight in the last 18 months?

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I hear what you're saying, B6, and I agree with you on some level.

That said, when I was discussing Tim Wright with someone the other day, I looked him up on rotoworld for the latest news and reports. It should be noted that the latest reports were about the Bucs using him as a slot receiver for a good portion of the summer. To me, that doesn't really suggest that he's much bigger than 225 or so--although of course we're all speculating.

supafly said:

I hear what you're saying, B6, and I agree with you on some level.

That said, when I was discussing Tim Wright with someone the other day, I looked him up on rotoworld for the latest news and reports. It should be noted that the latest reports were about the Bucs using him as a slot receiver for a good portion of the summer. To me, that doesn't really suggest that he's much bigger than 225 or so--although of course we're all speculating.

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Sup I'm 6'3" and I can gain 5lbs in a hour...

Brady6 said:

Mankins was not going to be here next year, we know from his last contract negotiation he was not taking a pay cut and we were not going to pay him another $11M in 2015. We accelerated the inevitable and did it on our own terms recouping some value in the process.

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This is probably pretty much what it comes down to, although who knows if we're prepared at the moment?

As someone else said, this could be like the Seymour trade all over again. It was obvious that they weren't going to keep Seymour beyond the year, but decided to part with him a year too early. Of course it also put us behind the 8 ball for that season, just as well.

I do like Tim Wright, and I do like the idea of saving money to use on McCourty/Revis, so those are the obvious pluses.

Brady6 said:

Sup I'm 6'3" and I can gain 5lbs in an hour...

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I definitely agree with that point for sure.

I don't think it will take long for him to put on another 10+ pounds or so. At the moment, I'm assuming that he's around 225 or so.

Could be a great acquisition down the stretch of the last 6+ reg season and into the postseason.

supafly said:

I definitely agree with that point for sure.

I don't think it will take long for him to put on another 10+ pounds or so. At the moment, I'm assuming that he's around 225 or so.

Could be a great acquisition down the stretch of the last 6+ reg season and into the postseason.

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I bet Wright weighs more than Hernandez right now..

I think Mankins all pro status has been misleading over the past 2 seasons, I think he was named an all pro based more on reputation.

My thinking is that Mankins was going to be a cap casualty in all likelihood, and that we are lucky we found a trade partner for him. We'll see if Mankins has much left, because I can't say I'm enamored with any potential starting five.

Will Cannon play? I really have no idea what we're thinking as far as the future.

My thinking is that Mankins was going to be a cap casualty in all likelihood, and that we are lucky we found a trade partner for him. We'll see if Mankins has much left, because I can't say I'm enamored with any potential starting five.

Will Cannon play? I really have no idea what we're thinking as far as the future.

203Pat said:

I am still amazed that Hernandez was ever 240 lbs but they have similar build although TW is 3 inches taller.

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Guns and ammo weigh more than you'd think.

Here's some interesting #'s from a link that I just found.

Tim Wright to New England: Should you add him in Fantasy Football? | numberFire

Too much is being made of Wright's weight. He will likely never be good at blocking LBs regardess of whether he is 220 or 230. However he doesn't need to be able to block LBs to make a 2 TE offense work. He only needs to be able to block DBs when the D plays nickle against a 2 TE offense. 220lbs is plenty of weight to block a DB.