FOXBORO - Tanner Arkin spent the weekend in the kind of roster limbo that can make even a good day feel like a bad one. The New England Patriots had to whittle their roster from 91 players to 53, and as the deadline crept toward 6 p.m. on Saturday, 10 moves were still waiting to be announced.
For Arkin, an undrafted rookie tight end out of Illinois, that silence was its own kind of pressure. He had spent much of the summer working as the Patriots’ third tight end, and the longer his name stayed off the cut list, the more uneasy the wait became.
"It was a pretty "stressful" day for the 23-year-old rookie fighting for a job.
"No news is good news, but at the same time, you want to know what's going on," he told Patriots On SI in the locker room Tuesday. "(It's) just another step in the journey for me, and it's just the beginning. I'm so blessed and grateful for this opportunity, and can't wait to ... keep getting better on this team and proving it to myself."
Then came the reveal, and it was as abrupt as the wait itself. Arkin didn’t get a sit-down with the front office or a private heads-up. He found out the same way everyone else did, by checking the list when it was released.
"I found out just like everyone else did at 6 (p.m.). The list came out," Arkin said.
"I just called my parents, my fiancée, and let them know the good news. It was great."
That moment capped a summer in which Arkin carved out a real role for himself. With veteran Julian Hill injured in the spring, Arkin moved into the TE3 spot and held it. He became the team’s top blocking option at tight end for most of the summer and didn’t give that job away.
The roster deadline itself was busy for New England, which completed two trades, sending running back Corey Kiner and offensive tackle Walter Rouse elsewhere. The move for Rouse reportedly opened the door for Lan Larison, the second-year running back who had been on track to make the roster, to lose his spot.
That flurry of activity helps explain why Arkin and other rookies were left waiting without early notice. For him, though, the important part is that the waiting is over.
"It's awesome," Arkin said of his summer. "It just builds confidence and you know that you're able to do it at this level.
Like I said, I'm just taking it day by day. You never know what can happen.
It's just the beginning and can't wait to move forward."
Arkin has spent training camp behind Hunter Henry and fellow rookie Eli Raridon, a player he said he can relate to in this process. His path to playing time may not be built around catches, and it may not even be built around heavy snap totals. His value is tied to blocking, and that role could overlap with fullback Reggie Gilliam or newly-claimed tight end Cameron Latu.
Still, Arkin knows what he has to do now that the roster spot is secured. The shock is gone, the uncertainty is over, and the regular season is next.
"I think the biggest thing is that I took advantage of every opportunity that I was given, whatever that case may be," Arkin said. "How many reps on game day, how many reps during practice, whatever my role is.
"Just want to continue to build my role, earn a role and be the best player I can."
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