Chargers tight end Hunter Henry was hampered by a knee injury in Week 1 of the 2019 season, which kept him out for four weeks of action. Upon returning, Henry was a force to be reckoned with, especially in the passing game.
Henry was a matchup nightmare, showing the ability to win in a variety of ways, whether that be shorter routes or in the middle of the field. As a result, the former Arkansas product posted 55 catches for 652 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 12 contests.
Henry’s dominance as a receiver was recognized by NFL Media’s Nick Shook, as he was listed as the seventh-best pass-catcher in the NFL in 2019.
Shook’s used “catch rate above expectation,” which is simply the difference between a player’s catch rate last season compared to his expected catch rate, which is calculated by Next Gen Stats.
Henry had a plus-8.4-percent difference between his actual catch rate and his expected catch rate, finishing a spot above 49ers’ George Kittle, who is touted as one of the best at the position.
Henry battled through the adversity of suffering a torn ACL in 2018 to return, appear in 12 games and catch over 70 percent of the passes intended for him in 2019. While the Chargers struggled in the final year of the Philip Rivers era, Henry did not, posting a positive catch-rate difference of over 8 percent. He flourished in the end zone, catching 60 percent of his targets in the money-making stretch of 10 yards for three of his five total touchdowns.
Most importantly, Henry succeeded by finding the soft spots in the defense. His air yards per target (10.2) landed near what the wideouts in this group managed, and he did so by creating space for himself in those soft spots, as evidenced by his tight-window percentage of just 13.2. Talk about increasing your chances.
Henry, 25, had the franchise tag placed on him earlier this offseason. He said that him and the Chargers were in talks of a long-term extension, but the coronavirus pandemic put negotiations to a halt.
It remains to be seen if the two parties will agree to an extension before the season, but it’s evident that Los Angeles wants to keep him around for awhile.
Henry is dealt with issues since 2016, but when he is on the field he is a key piece of the offense. He will look to not only continue to flourish as a pass-catcher and run-blocker, but stay healthy for a full 16-game slate, which would mark the first time in his professional career.
To see the rest of Shook’s list of top pass-catchers from last season, you can check it out here.