The ongoing issue regarding the "Deflategate" scandal which saw New England Patriots star Tom Brady in the middle of the mess, had been wreaking havoc in the practice sessions of the NFL team. As the commencement date of the NFL season draws nearer and no settlement eyed in the near future, the New England Patriots' performance in the upcoming matches hang in the balance. Moreover, the future of Tom Brady as a football star and his potential games in the upcoming NFL season remain unknown.

With the possibility of earning suspensions in the first matches for the upcoming NFL season, Tom Brady might have to watch in the sidelines as the New England Patriots battle it out with NFL greats like the Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers. As the quarterback that played major roles in the victories of the New England Patriots in the past NFL seasons, standing idly by as his teammates attempt to make do without his presence could be crushing. Nonetheless, it appears that the New England Patriots still have a fighting chance as the Super Bowl champs continue to modify their NFL roster to retain the crown next season.

The New England Patriots welcomed tight end Asante Cleveland earlier this week, according to CSN Bay Area. In exchange for the tight end, the NFL team traded offensive lineman Jordan Devey to the San Francisco 49ers. Both NFL stars are now on their way to undergo the physical examinations to be conducted by the New England Patriots and the San Francisco 49ers to finalize the deal.

The San Francisco 49ers saw Cleveland take part in six games in the past NFL season. Presumably, his failure to catch a pass throughout the said period contributed to the decision of the San Francisco 49ers to send him to the New England Patriots. However, Cleveland attempted to earn his stripes during the game of the San Francisco 49ers against the Houston Texans by managing to catch three passes for 10 yards. The offense of the said game saw the now New England Patriots star play 11 snaps. With the excess of tight ends in the San Francisco 49ers locker room, led by veteran Vernon Davis, the exit of Cleveland was embraced by the NFL team.

While the performance of Cleveland with the San Francisco 49ers proved to be underwhelming, it appears that the New England Patriots saw potential in the NFL star. With his size, 6 foot 6, 320 pounds, Cleveland is expected to add depth to the New England Patriots roster which saw a number of NFL stars taken off the list due to multiple injuries. According to Yahoo Sports, the presence of Rob Gronkowski in the New England Patriots roster still left a lot to be desired especially in light of the loss brought about by the dismissal of Aaron Hernandez. With the entry of Cleveland, the Super Bowl champs expect that the spot will now be filled as the former San Francisco 49ers tight end looks to be a promising addition.