Hunter Henry is as dependable as they come at tight end, but do Patriots have enough depth at the position?
With training camp set to start at the end of the month, we’ll provide a position-by-position breakdown of where the Patriots stand. We started with the quarterbacks, wide receivers, and running backs. Today, it’s tight ends and fullbacks.
Roll call: TE Hunter Henry (60 catches, 768 yards, 7 TDs last season), TE C.J. Dippre (no regular-season stats), FB/TE Jack Westover (one catch), FB/TE Brock Lampe (no regular-season stats, ended season on injured reserve), TE Eli Raridon, TE Julian Hill (placed on season-ending IR this spring), TE Tanner Arkin, FB Reggie Gilliam.
By the numbers:
1: The number of NFL players last season who finished with 230 or more offensive snaps and 330 or more special teams snaps. Gilliam turned the trick as a member of the Bills. His 235 offensive snaps were a career high.
768: The number of receiving yards Henry had last season, a career high.
2,973: The number of receiving yards Henry has with the Patriots. It’s 21st in franchise history, and fourth among tight ends, trailing Rob Gronkowski, Ben Coates, and Russ Francis.
The skinny: It’s death, taxes, and Hunter Henry.
Going into his 11th year in the league, Henry’s dependability, steadiness, and leadership continue to impress. While his numbers will never put him in the Pro Bowl conversation, heading into 2026 he’s the most important person in the tight end room again, and one of the team’s leaders. If the Patriots can squeeze another year of production out of Henry (who will be 32 in December), they’ll gladly take it.
As for the rest of the depth chart, the departure of Austin Hooper creates opportunities for others. Raridon was a third-round pick out of Notre Dame who initially would have been asked to play a cameo role this season. With the season-ending injury to Hill, Raridon will likely have more than anticipated on his plate.
“I’m someone who has to work on a lot of things. Coming in here and seeing guys like Hunter Henry, he’s a vet,” Raridon said. “He does things great. The details — techniques, fundamentals — are on point. I have a long way to get there.”
There’s also the possibility that 2026 opens the door for Dippre, who spent much of 2025 in a reserve role after catching 33 passes in two seasons at Alabama. Lampe and Arkin will be part of the depth conversation.
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At fullback, the ground game figures to get a boost this year with the acquisition of Gilliam, an old-school professional in the James Develin mold. And Westover, who spent much of last year masquerading as a fullback, will surely move back to tight end as a depth piece with some positional flexibility.
While Henry figures to spend another year as TE1, training camp will provide a chance for the Patriots to take a closer look at their depth behind the veteran, and create one of the more underrated position battles on the roster.
“I think that is somewhere where we will probably have to evaluate the numbers,” coach Mike Vrabel said this spring when asked about the possibility of adding another tight end following Hill’s injury. “I mean, there are 90, 91 guys on every team, so we will just have to take a look at that. But I would say that is probably somewhere where we would have to address.”
How does this position rate against the rest of the league? Good. Between Henry’s dependability and Gilliam’s thump, this is a group that can be classified as steady and above average.
Quote of note: “I think Eli is really unique in that he can provide the type of physical presence in the run game that I think can be relied on. He’s somebody that can contribute in that, hopefully very early for the Patriots. And then he can also get vertically down the seam and run.” — Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock on Raridon.
Biggest story lines: Can the Patriots squeeze another 50-plus-catch season out of Henry? With the injury to Hill, who can step up and assume the role of TE2? Will Gilliam provide the offense with the sort of punch it has desperately needed at fullback the last couple of years?
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