There was a lot of connect-the-dots when the Patriots released tight end Zach Sudfeld this week, but the Patriots aren’t replacing him with a better tight end this week.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Rob Gronkowski did not fly with the Patriots to Cincinnati and won’t play tomorrow.
Wide receiver Danny Amendola, however, did make the trip, and is listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game.
While getting Amendola would help, the Patriots are rapidly approaching the reality that they’ve wasted a roster spot on Gronkowski the last five weeks. Had he stayed on reserve/PUP, he’d have been able to come back after six. So unless he’s back on the field Oct. 13 against the Saints, they’ve just been dragging him around to be inactive when they could have used the spot on someone able to play.