Bill Belichick, A.J. Derby

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick talks with tight end A.J. Derby during the second half of a preseason NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

(Winslow Townson)

In a somewhat surprising move, the New England Patriots have traded backup tight end A.J. Derby to the Denver Broncos, as announced on the Broncos' team website.

In exchange for Derby, the Patriots will reportedly receive a 2017 fifth-round draft pick.

Drafted in the sixth round in 2015, Derby is viewed as a developmental player. He was a former college quarterback who played just one year of tight end at Arkansas. Derby spent his entire rookie season on injured reserve, but starred throughout training camp and the preseason this past summer.

At 6-foot-5, 255 pounds, Derby has ideal athleticism. He caught 15 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown in the preseason. Over the course of the summer, he made a handful of difficult, contested catches downfield.

"A.J. is a young tight end who can help us immediately," Broncos GM John Elway said in a team press release. "He has tremendous upside and will fit in well on our team."

What does the trade mean for the Patriots?

A few points:

1). Turns out Derby won't be the No. 2 tight end for the Patriots in 2017. After the preseason, I believed Derby would have to wait one more year for an expanded role.

Martellus Bennett is a free agent, and there is a chance -- maybe a good one -- that he moves on for a lucrative deal. Derby would have been an affordable option alongside Rob Gronkowski in 2017. Clearly, he has upside.

Perhaps the Patriots were not crazy about Derby as a blocker, though. They like that Gronkowski and Bennett are interchangeable; both can block as traditional in-line tight ends, and both can split wide.

Of course, they like Bennett's ridiculous talent, too.

Before you get too excited: the trade of Derby does not 100 percent mean Bennett will be back next year. Lots of stuff can and will happen between now and the 2017 season -- free agency, the draft, etc.

Bennett could move on in free agency, and the team could explore other options to fill its void at No. 2 tight end.

2). The compensation here is pretty nice. As much upside as Derby showed, he has never caught a pass in the regular season. So flipping him for a fifth-round pick -- a full round higher than where he was drafted -- is a decent return.

3). The Patriots now have just two tight ends on the roster (Clay Harbor was cut weeks ago, and free agent signee Greg Scruggs was placed on the injured reserve). They have an open roster spot to fill. Perhaps former Raiders fullback Marcel Reece, who worked out for the team a few weeks back, will be considered.