What Impact Will New TE Hoomanawanui Have With Saints?
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton gave a rare glimpse into a possible transaction in his press conference yesterday when he said the the team was “thin” at tight end.
He spoke of it in a manner that showed concern which I had been preaching much to the chagrin of readers for Big Easy Believer in articles I had written dating back to the 2015 NFL Draft.
The fans were lulled into a false sense of security by Payton following the trade of tight end Jimmy Graham; with thoughts that there team would be fine with current players like Benjamin Watson and Josh Hill stepping up.
When all was said and done by the time the final roster was completed, it was Watson and Hill who stood alone atop the depth chart because, well, they were the only ones left at tight end.
The results have left much to be desired as both players have a combined 11 receptions for a whooping 85 yards and no touchdowns.
Sep 13, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Josh Hill (89) against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Hill, who was pumped up by Payton and also the NFL Network as well, was thought to be a threat in the redzone where he’s done his most damage in the past.
But he has only contributed to two receptions for 12 yards; which is disappointing considering last season he had 14 receptions for 176 yards and five touchdowns.
Hints of a trade swirled after Payton dropped hints of the need for a tight end and one name that popped up was Chicago Bears Martellus Bennett, who at 6-7, 270 lbs., could help the Saints in the passing game including the redzone with his big body.
The Bears have recently released several players and traded some like defensive end Jared Allen to the Carolina Panthers in what looked to be a rebuild, so the thought of Bennett being in a Saints uniform wasn’t too out of bounds.
But the Saints instead announced that they had traded recently benched defensive end Akiem Hicks to the New England Patriots for tight end Michael Hoomanawanui.
Even with his unique name, most Who Dat’s may have never heard of him before and with good reason.
Aug 28, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; New England Patriots tight end Michael Hoomanawanui (47) tries to elude Carolina Panthers defensive end Wes Horton (96) during the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. New England wins 17-16 over the Panthers. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Hoomanawanui was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft out of Illinois after he had a stellar senior season with 50 receptions for 843 yards and 12 touchdowns.
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He would have his best year receiving his rookie year playing in eight games and catching 13 passes for 146 yards and three touchdowns.
After that he wouldn’t get another touchdown catch until 2013 with the New England Patriots whom he signed with after being cut by the Rams in 2012 and that would be his last one to date.
So if the Saints didn’t get him for a receiving threat, then what kind of impact will Hoomanawanui have with the team?
Simple fact is that it’s his blocking ability that the Saints were looking at along with being able to catch the occasional pass when needed.
Hoomanawanui in 16 games with the Rams received a positive grade from ProFootballFocus.com averaging out at +3.25 in two seasons in run blocking.
He would improve that a bit in 2012 with the Patriots with a +3.7 in run blocking as well as a +2.7 in pass blocking.
Oct 12, 2014; Orchard Park, NY, USA; New England Patriots tight end Michael Hoomanawanui (47) against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. New England beats Buffalo 37 to 22. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
Although he did grade out poorly in run blocking with a -11.7 in 2014, Hoomanawanui only had 4 games that were of a huge disaster and only allowed one sack, one quarterback hit, and two hurries that occurred early in the season.
The Saints have been in need of some help in run blocking as well as some protection around quarterback Drew Brees along the offensive line and the depth at the tight end position will be a plus.
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But if you’re looking for Hoomanawanui to come in and put up some big numbers in the receiving game you might be disappointed considering since the seasons started the Patriots have only had him play in two games and involved in only 23 total snaps out of 147.
The trade with the Patriots for Hoomanawanui seems eerily reminiscent of another trade the Saints did with the organization back in 2009 for another tight end.
Former tight end David Thomas was acquired from New England for a sixth round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft and was utilized probably the way the Saints will with their new tight end.
Thomas was mainly a blocker during his time in New Orleans from 2009-2012 and managed to snag 81 receptions for 677 yards and seven touchdowns.
If the Saints can get the same production from Hoomanawanui that they did from Thomas, then this could be one of the better trades they’ve pulled off in a while since getting center Max Unger….
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