The first fantasy-relevant transaction of free agency just occurred as the New England Patriots traded tight end Jonnu Smith to the Atlanta Falcons.
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Trade Terms
The Falcons are trading away a 2023 seventh-round pick in exchange for Jonnu Smith.
Fantasy Impact
Jonnu Smith's time with New England Patriots resulted in one of the biggest fantasy letdowns of recent history. Smith will be reunited with his former Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator, now Falcons head coach, Arthur Smith.
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Jonnu Smith experienced moderate fantasy success with the Titans, but managers always felt his ceiling was never reached. He'll likely serve as an inline tight end behind third-year tight end Kyle Pitts.
This move could indicate that Arthur Smith wants to free up Pitts to do less blocking and more receiving.
Fantasy Fallout
Jonnu Smith's departure leaves Hunter Henry as the lone tight end on the New England depth chart. Henry will be the likely top receiving weapon should Jakobi Meyers sign with another team during free agency.
Should that happen, the Patriots will severely lack significant receiving talent. Expect the Patriots to make additions through free agency or this year’s NFL Draft.
Stock Watch
Jonnu Smith's redraft and dynasty value has seemingly taken another hit with this trade. Arthur Smith may, at times, deploy Jonnu Smith out of the backfield as an H-back, but any real fantasy contributions should be severely limited. The move ultimately helps the Falcons more than it does fantasy managers. Smith now finds himself as a back-end TE2.
