Editor’s Observe: With the start of NFL free company looming on March 12, our Patriots Insider Tom E. Curran is resetting every Patriots place by assessing their 2024 efficiency, laying out their 2025 contract standing and rating their offseason precedence on a scale of 1 to five.
After quarterbacks and running backs, subsequent up is the tight ends.
Hey, look! A place group that doesn’t make you sigh with resignation. The Patriots tight finish room doesn’t qualify as scary. However it’s succesful!
Let’s get into it!
Vivid spots
Hunter Henry has been one of many staff’s best and dependable gamers since Invoice Belichick focused and signed him in 2021. However married up with Drake Maye and within the Alex Van Pelt offense, Henry had profession highs in catches and yards (66 catches on 97 targets for 674 yards and two touchdowns).
To see that type of manufacturing in his 30-year-old season, particularly after getting whacked round fairly good in 2023, is extraordinarily encouraging.
Austin Hooper turned out to be one of many few free-agent hits the Patriots had in 2024. He caught 45 of the 59 balls despatched his method in his 30-year-old season with three touchdowns.
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Photographs
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Photographs Veteran TE Austin Hooper is scheduled to hit free company after a stable debut season in New England.
The generation-long boondoggle that’s happening over within the vast receiver room was offset final decade by the unearthing of (arguably) the very best tight finish in NFL historical past (Rob Gronkowski) in 2010 and Josh McDaniels’ utilization of him.
This decade, the one saving grace for the passing sport was the signing of Henry, particularly after Belichick determined to maneuver on from Jakobi Meyers after 2021.
Now, with McDaniels again and hopefully a contemporary change to the method of evaluating and creating wideouts, the tight finish crew might be in line for much more manufacturing. Give it some thought: If that’s the a part of the offense that works, shouldn’t you form your offense round that whereas the opposite half (wideouts) will get introduced up to the mark?
The disappointments
There’s little or no to moan about right here from Henry and Hooper. Occasional drops, pre-snap penalties from Henry and being a part of the blocking group that struggled all season can be the dings you can apply.
It additionally would have been good to see somewhat extra of seventh-round choose Jaheim Bell (83 offensive snaps, two catches for 20 yards) over the course of the season. He confirmed athleticism and run-after-catch capability in camp however wasn’t capable of finding the sphere a lot.
Contract statuses
Henry signed a three-year, $27 million cope with $15.8 million assured final offseason. He has cap hits of round $11 million the subsequent two years. He performed as much as his OverTheCap.com valuation.
Hooper was on a one-year deal, so he might be a free agent after taking part in on a $3.1 million deal. He outplayed his valuation all yr and is in line for a extra profitable deal. It is going to be fascinating to see what the staff has in thoughts for re-signing him.
The Patriots even have little-used 26-year-old Jack Westover on the roster.
Offseason precedence (Scale of 1-5)
It’s a 4. The staff must re-sign Hooper or one other tight finish of comparable capability. With each Henry and Hooper coming into their 31-year-old season, drafting a good finish makes a variety of sense, and there are 4 of them in Daniel Jeremiah’s Top 50 prospects – Tyler Warren, Colton Loveland, Mason Taylor, and Elijah Arroyo.
Warren and Loveland are top-10 prospects in Jeremiah’s analysis. Taylor is the son of Miami Dolphins legend Jason Taylor and is 6-foot-5, 256 kilos. He initiatives as a third-rounder, according to Kyle Crabbs of 33rd Team.
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