Patriots release TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins

The Patriots are down another tight end.

The released veteran Austin Seferian-Jenkins. The 26-year-old was expected to compete for the Patriots starting tight end position, but instead is taking a step back from the game of football.

Seferian-Jenkins is taking a month away from the game to work on personal issues, according to a source. He hopes to resume playing in the NFL by July. We’ll see if that still involves the Patriots.

A 2014 second-round pick by [...]

The Patriots are down another tight end.

The released veteran Austin Seferian-Jenkins. The 26-year-old was expected to compete for the Patriots starting tight end position, but instead is taking a step back from the game of football.

Seferian-Jenkins is taking a month away from the game to work on personal issues, according to a source. He hopes to resume playing in the NFL by July. We’ll see if that still involves the Patriots.

A 2014 second-round pick by Tampa Bay, Seferian-Jenkins has had an up and down career in the NFL. He’s shown some potential — 338 receiving yards in seven games in 2015 and 50 catches in 2017 — but has never lived up to that second-round billing. He played in five games last season for the N.Y. Jets before landing on the injured reserve.

The Patriots signed Seferian-Jenkins after Rob Gronkowski announced his retirement this spring. Although he wasn’t guaranteed to make the roster, he was one of the most experienced tight ends in Foxboro.

The news with tight ends hasn’t been positive for the Pats this offseason. Last week, Ben Watson announced he would serve a four-game suspension for taking a banned substance when he thought he was retiring.

Now, with Watson suspended, the Patriots could start the season with the likes of Matt LaCosse, Stephen Anderson, Ryan Izzo and Andrew Beck at tight end.