"The New England Patriots are facing plenty of questions at the tight end position following the retirement of Rob Gronkowski. With neither the future Hall of Famer nor 2018 squad members Dwayne Allen and Jacob Hollister a part of the equation anymore Stephon Gilmore Jerseys 2019 , the team is looking at a competition for the roster spots at tight end between Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Benjamin Watson, Matt LaCosse, Ryan Izzo, Stephen Anderson and Andrew Beck.There is still a chance that other players get added to the mix, however. One of them might be Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph, who could be on the trade block after contract negotiations between player and team were reportedly cut off earlier this month. As first mentioned by Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer White Lawrence Guy Jerseys , the Patriots have “talked with Minnesota about Kyle Rudolph” — although no further details were provided.As previously noted, Rudolph would be an intriguing target for New England: he was a reliable presence in the passing game for the Vikings last year and finished the season with 64 receptions for 634 yards and 4 touchdowns. The 29-year-old certainly is still a serviceable player despite some inconsistencies as a run blocker, but he also comes with a comparatively hefty salary cap hit of $7.625 million this year.As things stand right now, the Patriots would not be able to afford Rudolph at his current price tag: the team has under $4 million in cap space to operate with, according to the Boston Sports Journal’s Miguel Benzan, and would need to find a way to significantly lower his cap impact for the 2019 season if it were to acquire him. New England’s talks with the Vikings might therefore have been little more than the expression of general interest in a player expected to become available for a late-round draft pick.That being said, the Patriots are known for their financial savvy: they would likely find a way to either lower Rudolph’s cap hit or free up space in another way if they felt was a player they needed to get onto their squad. There is little indication beyond Breer’s report at this point in time when it comes to that Lawrence Guy Jerseys 2019 , but things can move fast in the NFL — and rumors pick up steam quickly to turn into possible transactions. It looks as if New England has given the younger Belichick a new role."The New England Patriots’ defensive staff is undergoing a major transformation this offseason: gone are signal caller/linebackers coach Brian Flores, defensive line coach Brendan Daly, and cornerbacks coach Josh Boyer. Their departures to the Miami Dolphins (Flores, Boyer) and Kansas City Chiefs (Daly) left safeties coach Steve Belichick as the lone returning position coach from last year’s defensive staff.However, it now looks as if Belichick himself will have a new role moving forward: according to New England’s pre-draft press release, he has moved to take over Boyer’s old spot working with the cornerbacks. No other moves were announced, despite former Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo already confirming that he has been added to the defensive coaching staff — presumably to work with the linebackers — as well.Steve Belichick meanwhile White Rex Burkhead Jerseys , will change roles after working with the safeties for the previous three seasons. Before that, the Rutgers alumnus and son of Patriots head coach Bill Belichick spent four years as a coaching assistant. With him moving into Boyer’s former role, New England now needs to find a new safeties coach. 2018’s coaching assistants Brian Belichick, DeMarcus Covington and Mike Pellegrino are the most likely candidates for the job.The other vacant positions, meanwhile, remain open as well: New England still needs a new defensive signal caller after the surprising resignation of Greg Schiano and also has not yet announced a defensive line coach yet. In case the aforementioned Jerod Mayo takes over as a defensive assistant and not a position coach right away, the Patriots will also need to hire a new linebackers coach.[UPDATE Rex Burkhead Jerseys 2019 , 8/3/19] It looks like the Patriots will not move Belichick to cornerbacks coach: according to the Providence Journal’s Mark Daniels, the team made a mistake in its press release