Patriots Rookie Tight Ends Devin Asiasi, Dalton Keene Won't Play Vs. Bills
BOSTON (CBS) -- Adding to what has been an extremely unproductive season for the Patriots' pair of rookie tight ends, the team will be without both Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene on Sunday.
The Patriots announced Sunday morning that Asiasi did not make the trip to Buffalo, due to personal reasons.
On Saturday, the tight end shared images on his Instagram story of a friend who passed away.
When the Patriots' list of inactives came out 90 minutes prior to kickoff, Dalton Keene's name was on the list. Keene practiced all week without incident until Friday, when he was listed as a limited participants due to a knee issue.
This season, Asiasi has played in five games for the Patriots but has yet to catch a pass or even be targeted. He's been on the field for a tick under 21 percent of the team's offensive snaps this season, and he was inactive last week against the 49ers.
The Patriots selected Asiasi out of UCLA in the third round with the 91st overall pick in April's draft. The team Keene just 10 picks later (101st overall), and Keene made his first career reception in his first NFL game last week against the 49ers.
The 6-foot-3, 257-pound Asiasi caught 44 passes for 641 yards and four touchdowns last year for the Bruins.
The Asiasi and Keene absences leave the Patriots with just Ryan Izzo at tight end for the game against the Bills. Elsewhere on the roster, the Patriots are without Stephon Gilmore (knee), Julian Edelman (knee)
