The New England Patriots traded tight end Michael Hoomanawanui to the New Orleans Saints Wednesday for defensive end Akiem Hicks, according to multiple reports.
Advertisement
The Boston Globe and NFL.com initially reported the trade.
The Patriots have made their second trade of the bye week.
Hoomanawanui was a healthy scratch Sunday against the Jaguars for the first time in his four-season tenure with the Patriots, as he had fallen to fourth on the tight end depth chart.
Advertisement
The move is a bit surprising on the Saints’ end, because Hicks, 25, has been a starter for the past three years and showed so much potential early in his career. He has been given opportunities at both defensive end and defensive tackle but remained ineffective. However, his lack of foot speed keeps him from being a number one tight end. Hicks started 33 games in four seasons for the Saints after he was selected in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Watson originally entered the National Football League as a seventh-round draft pick (217th overall) by Tampa Bay in 2010 out of Florida State. He totaled 29 receptions for 381 yards over that span. Chandler and Williams have had larger roles than Hoomanawanui on game day. He played in the Patriots wins at Buffalo and vs. Jacksonville and recorded one special teams tackle.
