Grading TE Hunter Henry’s deal with the New England Patriots: A-

Bill Belichick continued his spending ways on Tuesday, reaching a deal with another tight end. Is their vision coming into focus?

The puzzle pieces are beginning to illustrate the vision for 2021 in New England.

Bill Belichick and the Patriots continued their spending on Tuesday, adding yet another tight end to their offense. After reaching a deal with Jonnu Smith at the start of the legal tampering period the team doubled down at tight end, reaching an agreement with the other top tight end option available in Hunter Henry.

Adam Schefter from ESPN reported the deal Tuesday morning:

There is an injury concern with Henry, who has missed time during his career including the entire 2018 campaign due to a torn ACL, but you cannot argue with the production. After tearing that ACL Henry came back and put together perhaps his best season as a pro, catching 55 passes for 652 yards and five touchdowns. This past season, as the Los Angeles Chargers transitioned to rookie Justin Herbert, Henry was just as productive, catching 60 passes (a career-high) for 613 yards and four touchdowns.

One of the things that Henry does well is attack the middle of the field. Whether on deep curl routes, crossing routes or sit routes over the football, Henry makes himself available for his quarterback as either a primary or a secondary option. That ability, coupled with Herbert’s consistency at attacking leverage in the secondary, led to Henry converting 35 first downs last season. This play against the New York Jets is a perfect example:

So that is what Henry brings to the table, but how does he fit in?

The Patriots are turning back the clock.

No, they are not going to run the Wing-T — although you know Belichick the football historian could view that as a Plan B — but rather the Patriots are trying to tap into what they did offensively a decade ago, when they used a two tight end package to force defenses into difficult decisions, and punish them no matter what they choose.

As I argued yesterday, before the Henry signing, 12 personnel was their vision for 2021:

For one, this might be a window into the return of 12 personnel in New England. After all, the Patriots drafted a pair of tight ends last year, in Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene. The addition of Smith could mean that Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels are envisioning a lot of two TE packages in the season ahead. At this point it is important to remember that Belichick has raved about Smith in the past, and about his blocking:

He’s just a really good tight end. Can do a lot of things. Blocks well. Runs well. Is a good receiver. Played him at tailback, he looked pretty good back there. He’s a very athletic player. Hard to tackle. Catches the ball well. (He’s) great after the catch, probably the best in the league. I mean, I can’t imagine anyone better than him after the catch.

So you can easily envision a scenario where Smith is moved around in this hypothetical 12 personnel package, with either Asiasi or Keene taking on the more traditional, in-line type of role. Or they can put both Smith and the other TE into the in-line role, given Smith’s blocking prowess. It gives the Patriots a ton of options, and forces the defense to pick their poison. Do they treat such a personnel grouping as a “heavier” group and play base? If so, New England can spread them out given Smith’s versatility. Do they treat it as a lighter package and play nickel or dime? If that happens, New England can line up and run the ball against those sub packages.

Beyond all that, the simple fact is that the Patriots have struggled to get production from the tight end position since the departure of Rob Gronkowski, and the deal with Smith is a nod towards fixing that problem.

As for the receivers, this could be a move in the direction of that 12 personnel package. Both Bourne and Agholor have spent time in the slot as well as in the “Z” receiver mold, and both skillsets are relied upon in that 12 personnel grouping. Remember last year’s discussion of Justin Jefferson, and how he struggled to beat press? That is not as big an issue when you are aligned either in the slot, or as a wide receiver in a 12 personnel package when by alignment you can create that two-way go situation. We again could be seeing something similar being carved out for the Patriots next season.

All of that remains true today, only substitute Hunter Henry in for the Devin Asiasi/Dalton Keene option across from Jonnu Smith. New England is building a 12 personnel package for the year ahead, and envisioning an offense that punishes defenses whether they stay in base personnel, or roll out a sub defensive package.

Belichick has opened up his wallet, and is turning back the clock. It might seem like a lot of money, but as the picture becomes clearer something else is coming into focus: It might just work.