New England Patriots
Hunter Henry is coming off of one of the best seasons of his career. Can he replicate that production this year?
Hunter Henry had smooth sailing into the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown to give the Patriots a 35-3 lead just before halftime. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
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Welcome to Boston.com’s Patriots position preview series. As we count down the days heading into training camp, we’ll take a look at where the Patriots stand at each position using key stats and observations from spring workouts. You can find our preview on the Patriots’ quarterbacks, wide receivers, and defensive backs here.
Hunter Henry is the only returning Patriots tight end who took a snap at the position last season.
Jack Westover, who played fullback last year, is returning to the tight end spot. Eli Raridon and Tanner Arkin are rookies. CJ Dippre spent last season on the practice squad.
Henry enjoyed another productive and healthy year last season, playing in all 17 games and finishing second behind Stefon Diggs in targets, catches, and receiving yards. He figures to be a top target for Drake Maye once again this year.
As the Patriots look to fill in the depth behind him this summer, here’s a look at where the group stands heading into training camp.
Players: Hunter Henry, Eli Raridon, CJ Dippre, Jack Westover, Tanner Arkin
Key Stats:
- Henry has played in 81 out of 85 possible regular-season games since joining the team in 2021
- Henry has had 40-plus catches in each of the last five seasons for the Patriots, putting him one 40-plus catch season away from Ben Coates’ franchise record for most in a row by a tight end (six)
- Raridon is listed at 6-feet-7-inches tall, 251-pounds, with a 36-inch vertical leap, giving him upside as a tall, long, athletic target for Maye
- Henry has been top-three amongst Patriots players in targets since he joined the team.
Strengths: Henry has been a dependable target for Maye since the young quarterback stepped into the league.
He is coming off of one of the most productive seasons of his career, tallying 60 catches for 768 yards and seven touchdowns. At age 31, he hasn’t appeared to skip a beat.
Raridon’s size, speed (4.62 40-yard dash), and leaping ability make him a player to watch this summer.
This is a young group who will probably benefit from Henry’s experience and leadership.
Weaknesses:
There isn’t much depth behind Henry, who will turn 32 in December.
Henry enjoyed a strong regular season and an uneven postseason. He had more yards (64) against his former team (Chargers) in the first round than he did in the rest of the playoffs combined.
Henry is a seasoned pro heading into his tenth season, but the rest of these tight ends haven’t proven much at the NFL level.
Raridon has the measurables, but he only had one year of experience as a starter at Notre Dame. Last season was his first time catching more than 12 passes in a season at the college level.
Observations from OTAs/minicamp:
- Not much seemed different about Henry this spring, which is probably a good thing given his consistency
- One of the early criticisms of Raridon’s game was that he needed to add muscle mass, which is an interesting critique given that his grandfather was a strength coach on the 1988 national championship team at Notre Dame.
- Westover is now listed as a tight end after the Patriots signed Reggie Gilliam at fullback. The Patriots have plenty of familiarity with Gilliam, who had previously spent his entire career with the Bills.
2026-27 outlook: This group’s success depends a lot on Henry, who has been quite consistent over the past five years.
Unless the Patriots decide to add to this room over the summer, there shouldn’t be much stopping Raridon from playing right away. He’s a third round pick, the other in the mix at this spot were all undrafted, and one is working through a position change.
The Patriots used a lot of two tight end packages last year with Henry and Austin Hooper. That second tight end spot will need to be replaced since Hooper has signed elsewhere.
It’s a young group leaning on a proven vet. Henry has been a big part of the Patriots’ offense since he’s been here and this year should be no different.
Khari A. Thompson
Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.
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