Scott Chandler.jpg

New England Patriots tight end Scott Chandler failed to become a big part of the offense in his first year with the team

(AP Photo)

Over the next week, we'll break down the New England Patriots roster position-by-position. We continue Friday with the tight ends...

In retrospect, the "twin tower" hype for Rob Gronkowski and Scott Chandler was a bit out of control this past offseason.

Many analysts, including this guy, believed that Chandler would be New England's best complementary tight end since Aaron Hernandez.

"We're going to need to rely on (Chandler) quite a bit," Tom Brady said following New England's Week 12 loss at Denver. "So I think one way or another he's going to have to be a major contributor for our team. And we'll see how it goes going forward."

Involved in the offense early in the year, the 6-foot-7 Chandler fell out of favor and never found a true rhythm with Brady. Even though he is under contract, his status for 2016 can be viewed as uncertain.

A review of the Patriots tight ends heading into the offseason:

UNDER CONTRACT

ROB GRONKOWSKI: Gronk avoided a major injury for the second consecutive year. A good start. He was banged up toward the end of the season, listed with knee and back injuries during the playoffs, but was able to play at a high level. Consider: His performance against the Broncos in the AFC title game may have been the best game of his career.

Although he is just 26 years old, Gronkowski has been beat up beyond belief since his college days. He is still the top tight end in the game -- by a longshot -- but there is always the risk of injury when he is on the field, mostly due to the position he plays and the types of routes he runs. Gronk is susceptible to taking low hits from safeties on routes down the seam.

His minor injuries didn't require surgery, according to The Herald's Jeff Howe, so he should be healthy when voluntary workouts and minicamp roll around.

SCOTT CHANDLER: In 2016, Chandler is owed a base salary of $2 million and carries a cap hit of $3.05 million. Those are big numbers for a player who didn't catch a pass in his final five games.

The 2015 season did not go as anticipated for Chandler, who struggled with drops and too often failed to win contested balls.

He was never a superstar in Buffalo, but he was always productive despite shaky quarterback play. This wasn't the case in New England.

Perhaps Year Two will work out better for Chandler -- if there is a Year Two. The Pats can save $2 million if they cut him. The team doesn't have much cap space and could put the money toward a tackle, wide receiver or possibly another tight end.

MICHAEL WILLIAMS: Primarily a blocking tight end, the 300-pound Williams is on the books for a base salary of $525,000 in 2016. It seemed the Pats liked him this past year. It wouldn't be a shocker to see him on the 53-man roster again next fall.

A.J. DERBY: A developmental player, the 6-foot-5, 255-pound Derby has intriguing athleticism. He only played tight end as a senior at Arkansas; his early college days were spent as a quarterback. Derby, a sixth-round pick, was moved to IR less than a week into training camp.