Tag: Hunter Henry

Updated 53-man roster projection ahead of Patriots’ preseason finale

Who made the cut in our final 53-man roster projections?

The dead heat of training camp practices are in the rearview, and the focus now shifts to the preseason finale and the final roster cut for the New England Patriots.

Next Tuesday is the deadline for teams to cut down to a 53-man roster. The Patriots are going to have some tough decisions on their hands in an effort to be in compliance with that deadline.

Not every player can make the roster, and this could be a case where some fan favorites are ultimately left off the list. Keep in mind, the Patriots have the option of signing players that don’t make the cut to the practice squad, assuming another team doesn’t jump at the chance to sign them.

Here is our third and final 53-man roster projection for the 2023 Patriots ahead of the preseason finale.

6 takeaways from final day of Patriots training camp practice

Training camp has come and gone for the Patriots. Here are six takeaways from the team’s final practice.

The final day of training camp practice came and went for the New England Patriots on Wednesday. It’s crazy to think we are only a day away from the preseason finale and a little over two weeks away from the Patriots’ regular season opener.

These last few weeks have flown by, and we have reached the point where players on the roster bubble will have their final chance to convince coach Bill Belichick to keep them around on the 53-man roster.

The Patriots were in full pads for their final training camp practice, and there were several notable names that didn’t participate, including:

CB Jonathan Jones

G Cole Strange

WR Tyquan Thornton

OT Conor McDermott

ST Cody Davis

CB Isaiah Bolden

OT Calvin Anderson

DE Trey Flowers

C Kody Russey

Next on the itinerary for the Patriots is making the trek to Nashville for Friday’s game against the Tennessee Titans. But before liftoff, here are some takeaways from their final practice.

Henry feels as healthy as he’s been with Patriots

The former Mackey Award winner at Arkansas has had a healthy, productive offseason.

When Hunter Henry spent his three All-SEC seasons as a premier tight end at Arkansas, steadiness and consistency were two of his primary traits, on and off the field.

The 2015 Mackey Award winner, as the nation’s best at the position, still seems to remain in good spirits with a smile, and continues to be a popular teammate for his leadership skills and consistent quality of play.

Now entering his eighth season in the league, his third in New England, Henry has taken his preparation up a notch this preseason. Not only does he look to be in better shape, but has excelled early in camp drills. He has connected frequently with quarterback Mac Jones for scores in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills.

He attributes his productive offseason to the simplest of things, and something he’s never really experienced before: good health.

“I was able to be healthy this whole offseason,” Henry said. “I wasn’t coming off an injury or a surgery, which was a blessing, so I was able to attack the offseason and recover my body, which was nice.”

The 6-foot-5, 258-pound product of Little Rock’s Pulaski Academy, looks to be fully available and engaged when the Patriots open the season at home against Philadelphia on Sept. 10.

Injuries have created some obstacles for Henry throughout his career, including his rookie season of 2016, with the Chargers. He suffered a mild Grade 1 concussion against the Steelers in Week 7, then a knee injury against Buffalo the following week. But still managed to make Pro Football Weekly’s All-Rookie Team.

He suffered a kidney laceration in Week 15 of the following season, missing the final two games. He then missed the entire 2018 regular season after tearing his right ACL during Organized Team Activities (OTA) in the offseason. In 2019, he was sidelined four weeks with a tibia plateau fracture to his left knee.

He remained healthy throughout the 2020 season, his first with New England, but tweaked his shoulder the following preseason, before having to deal with an additional neck injury late in 2021. He had shoulder surgery after the season.

Finally, the 28-year-old Henry feels completely healthy and ready to become a primary option for the Patriots’ offense. His improved health has enabled him to work on everything from route-running to footwork, and all the things to help “get yourself open a lot more.”

“Things have been good, and we’re coming together as an offense,” said Henry, noting the team has had a good camp so far, especially with the presence of new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.

“OB’s been great,” Henry said of O’Brien. “He keeps it light but we work hard. He’s fun to be around. Being able to be around him, he brings a lot of energy to our room, a lot of fire we all needed.”

But it’s the veteran tight end’s renewed energy that even has Head Coach Bill Belichick singing his praises.

“He’s here every day with consistency,” Belichick said of Henry. “Of course, last year he was coming off a surgery, but this year he’s had a really good, productive offseason, from a strength and conditioning standpoint. Last year it was more rehab, but he’s been more productive on the field. Gives us good leadership. He’s great.”

Henry has 287 career receptions, totaling 3,434 yards and 32 touchdowns. But as the Patriots offense stalled at times last season, his opportunities were limited to just 41 catches for 509 yards and a pair of TDs.

Entering the third and final year of his three-year, $37.5 million contract, he is hoping to return to form, which would be beneficial for striking a new deal next year.

Two expected Patriots starters injured at Wednesday’s practice

It was a tough day on the injury front for the Patriots.

It was a rough day for the New England Patriots with multiple players going down with injuries at Wednesday’s training camp practice.

Unfortunately for New England, both of those players are expected starters.

Rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez and tight end Hunter Henry were both reportedly banged up by the end of the practice session. Per NESN’s Zack Cox, Gonzalez came down awkwardly when in coverage against wideout Thyrick Pitts.

Cox wrote:

The first-round pick hopped to the sideline and still was receiving treatment from members of the Patriots’ medical staff when practice ended a short while later.

Meanwhile, Henry also looked like he might have tweaked something on a play. Like Gonzalez, he stayed on the field, but he didn’t participate in any team drills after the injury.

The Patriots can’t afford to lose Gonzalez, given the uncertainty with Jack Jones’ ongoing legal situation. Veteran cornerback Jonathan Jones has also been out with an injury.

Things haven’t been any better at tight end with Mike Gesicki working his way back from a shoulder injury.

With that said, there’s no use in hitting the panic alarm over the two injuries just yet. Both Gonzalez and Henry did remain on the field, and as Dolloff pointed out, it didn’t appear to be overly serious.

Yet, it’s still something to keep an eye on moving forward.

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Madden 24: See the ratings for entire Patriots roster

Did Madden get the Patriots’ ratings right this year?

We are closing in on the start of the 2023 regular season, which means only one thing: It’s Madden season.

With the recent release of EA’s “Madden NFL 24”, the New England Patriots weren’t given much respect at all as far as the player ratings are concerned. Sadly, that’s what happens when a team is an absolute mess and misses the playoffs.

But there is hope for things to be better this time around with all of the new additions to the roster, including the return of Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator. The team also made the big splash signing at running back with former two-time NFL leading rusher Ezekiel Elliott joining an offensive backfield that already had burgeoning star rusher Rhamondre Stevenson.

Elliott isn’t listed as a Patriots running back on this list, but that will surely change in a future update. For now, let’s take a look at the overall rating for every Patriots player on the Madden 24 roster.

Is it time for Patriots to extend TE Hunter Henry to new deal?

Making the case for a Hunter Henry extension.

Hunter Henry signed a three-year, $37.5 million contract in 2021 and immediately latched on as a productive red zone threat for the New England Patriots.

Henry missed 10 games throughout his time with the Los Angeles Chargers and had known issues staying on the field, playing around 50 percent of the snaps.

In his debut season with the Patriots in 2021, he hauled in 603 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. In 2022, with Matt Patricia at the helm of the offense, he struggled in a season where he only had 41 catches for 509 yards and two touchdowns.

It was the worst year of his career since his rookie year.

Henry is just 28 years old, and he has managed to stay healthy since coming to New England. Mike Gesicki was signed this offseason but only to a one-year contract. Henry, a leader in the locker room, is on the final year of his deal and looks like he is back to his 2021 self, which is an efficient red zone target for Mac Jones.

If the Patriots and Bill O’Brien wish to use a two tight end set for more than just this year, it would make sense to retain Henry, while also freeing up cap space in the process with an extension.

Henry has chemistry with Jones, is a leader for the team and has been productive in the community. All of these should point to a new extension coming, and the Patriots should act fast with no true developmental players waiting in the wings and ready to take over next year.

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Madden 24 ratings for every Patriots tight end

Here’s how the Patriots’ tight ends rated in the upcoming “Madden NFL 24” video game.

The New England Patriots haven’t given up on their pursuit of reviving the tight end position. So they ditched the Jonnu Smith bandwagon and attached themselves to a new wagon altogether.

“Madden NFL 24” will feature Hunter Henry and newly-signed Patriots tight end Mike Gesicki. The hope is that the two form the sort of one-two punch that Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez created on the field back in 2011.

Gesicki doesn’t provide much in the way of blocking, but he basically acts as another wide receiver on the field, which is exactly what the Patriots need after failing to land a big, elite outside target. The combination of Henry and Gesicki should be able to mask the other issues to some degree.

Here’s a look at the ratings for every Patriots tight end in the upcoming Madden 24 video game:

Stock up, stock down for Patriots ahead of preseason opener

Who’s stock is up and who’s stock is down for the Patriots?

The New England Patriots are approaching their first preseason game of the 2023 season on Thursday, which will be an important test for every player on the 90-man roster. Each player is fighting for a role and an opportunity to make the 53-man roster.

As each week passes, we will be taking a look at players or position groups and breaking down how they have been performing this summer.

Stock watching is a way of sharing what we see and how a player is performing or building off of their past performances. Generally, the more a stock drops, the lower their roster lock status becomes.

As with all roster moves, there are multiple facets that get taken into consideration, like contracts, draft status and positional need. Let’s take a look at who is up and who is down in the Patriots’ stock watch.

10 standout players from the first week of Patriots training camp

Here are 10 standout Patriots from training camp so far.

The first full week of training camp is in the books with plenty to like from the New England Patriots on both sides of the ball.

Yes, even the offense, too.

The first few days were limited to red zone work and were basically an extension of minicamp and OTAs. However, the Patriots really opened things up in their first padded practice on Monday.

Things got competitive fast and in a hurry with the practices becoming much more physical. Granted, the defense is still the strength of the Patriots, but the offense isn’t backing down. Multiple players from the unit have shined as brightly as some of the team’s best defensive players.

Here are 10 standouts from the Patriots’ first week of training camp practice.

Ranking the TEs the Colts will play in 2023

Taking a look at ranking the tight ends the Colts will play in 2023.

The Indianapolis Colts are facing a good number of talented tight ends this season plus proven veterans and younger players at the position that will be looking to take the next step in their careers.

For this list, it only includes the starting tight ends from each team outside of the New England Patriots who are expected to continue to run their 12 personnel with the addition of Mike Gesicki.

Let’s take a look at how the tight ends rank out: