Amidst a wave of 36 players throughout the NFL being placed on COVID-19/Reserve on Monday, the New England Patriots have placed tight end Dalton Keene on the pandemic’s reserve list, according to the NFL transaction wire.
Keene had been placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list prior to the start of training camp. In August, he was moved to injured reserve, after undergoing surgery to repair a meniscus injury.
Having been selected by the Patriots in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft (101st overall), the Virginia Tech product was expected to help revitalize a then-struggling tight end positional grouping. However, much like his rookie classmate and fellow tight-end Devin Asiasi, Keene underwhelmed in his first season in New England. Though he did miss some time early on in 2020 with a neck injury, the 22-year-old struggled to find comfort in the Pats offense. He appeared in six games during his rookie season, logging three receptions for 16 yards on five targets
Despite his first-season struggles, the Pats remained hopeful that Keene would be versatile enough to be deployed in-line, in the slot and in the backfield in 2021. The 22-year-old was expected to use his time in camp to work on improving his route running, while also taking some reps at the fullback position. Keene’s ability to move around the field allows him to line up as an H-back, a fullback, or as an option in the slot or the perimeter. During his time in college, he frequently demonstrated the skill to run with power after the catch. However, he has yet to become an offensive factor with the Patriots, and is likely to face an uphill battle to earn a roster spot in 2022.
In addition to Keene, running back J.J. Taylor and safety Kyle Dugger have yet to be activated from COVID-19/Reserve. Taylor was placed on the list on November 29, while Dugger was added on December 1.
The Patriots will visit the 7-6 Indianapolis Colts for an 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium. Indy also placed linebacker Zaire Franklin on the reserve/COVID-19 list, which the team announced Monday. Franklin is one of the Colts’ core special teamers, logging 274 special teams snaps, tying him for the most on the team with fellow linebacker Matthew Adams. He also has played the third-most snaps at linebacker on defense (17.9%) while recording 27 tackles and an interception.
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