What Service Would Signing Dallas Clark Serve the New England Patriots?

The New England Patriots bringing in free agent tight end Dallas Clark for a workout may seem puzzling at first, considering their top-end talent at the position and the depth they've added this offseason, but if the team ultimately signs him, the decision to do so could look really smart if and when Aaron Hernandez goes down with an injury.

Clark has been the basis of comparison for Hernandez, with Hernandez being considered a much more athletic version of Clark. In his first two seasons, Hernandez has missed some time due to injury. He clearly wasn't himself in the 2010 playoff loss to the Jets, and the Patriots suffered for it. He was also missing during the Patriots' 34-31 loss to the Bills in Week 3 of 2011.

When Hernandez goes down, they need a reliable receiving tight end to fall back on. The Patriots added veteran free agent Daniel Fells and rookie undrafted free agent Brad Herman, but neither would be a suitable replacement in Hernandez's role.

Clark provides just the type of receiving presence at the position that the Patriots need on their depth chart as insurance against a Hernandez injury. He had an All-Pro season as recently as 2009, reeling in 100 catches for 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns, as the Colts made their second Super Bowl appearance in four seasons.

Since then, however, he's missed 15 games in the past two seasons. In 2010 and 2011, he combined for 71 receptions, 699 yards and five touchdowns. 

If staying healthy is Clark's only problem, that's no problem for the Patriots. He's not likely to get injured in his situational/rotational role, and he'll probably only get a majority of the snaps in any given game if and when Hernandez goes down.

Follow @ErikFrenz.