FOXBORO, MA — New England brought in tight end Eric Bjornson with the hope that he would replace Ben Coates as the team’s receiving tight end.
Unfortunately according to head coach Bill Belichick, it didn’t work out. As a result the 6th year tight end out of Washington was released today and is now looking for a new team.
“It just didn’t work out,” said Belichick on Bjornson’s release. “Eric works hard, very hard. He’s a dilligent worker and prepares well. We envisioned a role for him offensively, and it just didn’t work out.”
“I admire his work ethic, the way he prepared, the way he tried to get himself ready to play. We had every intention of trying to make the situation work out and it just didn’t go the way that we hoped it would.”
Bjornson started six of eight games this season and caught 20 passes for 152 yards and scored two touchdowns. Belichick says that both Rod Rutledge and Chris Eitzmann have simply taken advantage of their opportunities on the field, and that had to do with his decision to release Bjornson.
“Rod’s gotten a better opportunity the last few weeks, and he’s taken advantage of that opportunity,” said Belichick. “Chris Eitzmann [has also].”
“I just felt like at this point it was better for all parties just to move forward and that’s the direction we’re moving in.”
Quarterback Drew Bledsoe found out about the move this morning and said he was surprised by the news.
“I heard about it this morning in our team meeting,” said Bledsoe. “It came as a bit of a surprise. I’ve never made it a practice to comment on personnel moves, but I’ll just say it was a little bit of a surprise. Eric is a guy that was a good receiving tight end so I’m sorry to see him go.”
Bledsoe says that when a team is losing football games, unfortunately changes are made.
“When you’re losing football games then changes are made, that’s the facts of life,” said Bledsoe. “In this business when you don’t win, then everybody’s job is on the line.”
“If it wasn’t apparent before, I think that it’s become very apparent here in recent weeks that if there’s a feeling that the team can in some way be improved through a personnel move, that move is going to be made. So I think that everybody has to understand that they’re competing for a job all the time.”
Besides the release of Bjornson, New England also released receiver Tony Gaitor from the practice squad and signed both offensive tackle Josh Rawlings and receiver Curtis Jackson.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
