Both tight ends have proven they can chip in on offense while upholding blocking duties. And the responsibilities change from week to week, forcing them to be ready and patient.

“As a tight end and an offensive player, you always want the ball, that’s why we go out there, but some games we’re asked to block more, some games we’re asked to catch balls, but just always being ready for whatever,’’ Watson said. “We go into games sometimes with 100 plays and you never know what’s going to be called so you always got to be ready.’’

With receiver Julian Edelman recovering from a broken forearm and rookie Brandon Tate getting adjusted to the system, Watson and Baker are would-be targets. Randy Moss and Wes Welker catch the bulk of Brady’s passes, but Watson and Baker remain viable options, coach Bill Belichick said.

“I think with Tom, every eligible receiver is an option,’’ Belichick said. “He throws to everybody. He throws to the backs, throws to the tight ends, throws to the receivers. I think everybody knows when they’re involved in the route, depending on the coverage and how the patterns get matched up. We’ve thrown the ball to each of them or all of them, probably all five of them for the most part.’’

Watson and Baker have not had as many passes thrown their way recently. In the opener, Watson had six catches for 77 yards in the 25-24 win against Buffalo. For Baker, his TD reception in a 26-10 win over Atlanta is his only score of the season.

In two combined blowouts - 59-0 over Tennessee and 35-7 over Tampa Bay - Watson had one catch for 35 yards and Baker had four catches for 28 yards.

Watson has 15 catches for 222 yards and four touchdowns this season, already surpassing the 209 yards (on 22 catches) and two touchdowns he had last season. He is averaging 14.8 yards a catch.

Earlier this week, Brady was asked how Watson fits into the offense.

“Ben’s had a great year,’’ Brady said. “He’s a big part of this offense, and anytime you have Wes [Welker] and Randy [Moss] split outside of you, they attract a lot of attention. Ben is a very athletic player, he’s got great size for a tight end, 255-260 pounds, 6-4, but he runs like a receiver, so that’s kind of the way tight ends are these days. Whether it’s Dustin Keller or Dallas Clark in that Tony Gonzalez mold, where you’re big, physical, overpowering the smaller guys, but you’re faster than most of the bigger guys. Ben’s been a huge part of this offense, he’s made some really critical catches this season, and that’s what we’re going to need from him. That’s the role that he’s in and he’s done a great job for us this year.’’

Baker has eight catches for 78 yards and is averaging 9.8 yards per catch. Just two years ago he had 41 catches for 409 yards and three touchdowns with the Jets. Whether the assignment is to block or haul in passes, Baker said he can’t be complacent.

“You have to go about your job the same way every day, and that’s what we’ve been doing,’’ he said.

However, occasional opportunities can affect a player’s timing.

“You want to get in a rhythm, you want to get the ball early, you want to get it a lot,’’ Watson said. “You want to get those first hits in the game so you can get into a rhythm blocking and stuff like that. It’s the nature of the game. We have a lot of great players, like every team does, and there’s always different packages when some guys come in in different situations.’’

Watson said one of the biggest examples of being effective when called upon is Kevin Faulk, who has become a third-down specialist.

“Kevin Faulk is probably one of the greatest third-down backs people have said that ever played the game and he has to come in and be ready on third down, ‘bam’, you go in there cold, off the bench, make the first down and keep the chains moving,’’ Watson said. “As a professional, you got to be ready in every situation.’’

The duties might seem mundane, but blocking becomes a priority when Watson and Baker aren’t getting the ball.

“It’s part of the job description of course, and I’ve tried since I’ve been here to make that a point of emphasis for me, as well as trying to help wherever I can help out,’’ Baker said.

Monique Walker can be reached at mwalker@globe.com.