Who Should I Start? Giovanni Ricci or Oronde Gadsden

Monday, February 3, 7:02 PM

The New England Patriots signed free-agent tight end Giovanni Ricci (knee) to a Reserve/Futures deal on Monday. Ricci was on the Cleveland Browns' practice squad in 2024 but never was active for a regular-season game and was cut in August due to a knee injury. The 28-year-old former undrafted free agent out of Western Michigan made his NFL debut in 2021 with the Carolina Panthers, with all 36 of his career games coming with Carolina. In three NFL seasons, Ricci has caught only nine of 12 targets for 102 yards and no touchdowns with the Panthers. Ricci is more of a blocker than a pass-catcher and will now represent tight end depth for the Patriots throughout the offseason and into training camp this summer. The most likely scenario is that he'll effective serve as a fullback for new Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

Saturday, December 6, 4:33 PM

Los Angeles Chargers rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden faces a tough Week 14 challenge after the passing offense stalled following Justin Herbert's hand injury, leading to just one catch for 27 yards on two targets last week. Crucially, Gadsden failed to see a red-zone target for the second consecutive game after seeing 10 in the previous five. The matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles is extremely challenging, as their defense ranks among the top three against tight ends, allowing only three touchdowns all season and just nine PPR points per game to the position. RotoBaller ranks Gadsden as TE14 this week, especially with Justin Herbert (hand) listed as questionable. While the rookie has shown promise, the combination of the restructured, short-area passing offense and one of the league's toughest tight end defenses means Gadsden should be considered a high-end TE2 this week.