The Resilience of Patriots Tight Ends is Being Put to the Test
As the New England Patriots concluded day one of joint practices with the Philadelphia Eagles, they left the fields at NovaCare Complex with only two fully-healthy tight ends: Devin Asiasi and Troy Fumagalli.
With free agent additions Hunter Henry (shoulder) and Jonnu Smith (ankle) still on the mend, veteran tight end Matt LaCosse left Monday’s joint-practice session after taking an aggressive hit from Eagles defensive end Derrick Barnett.
Per Reiss’ initial account, the Pats tight end was running a shallow cross which led to the collision. After being quickly evaluated on the field, LaCosse walked off with Patriots trainers and did not return to the field. As a result, the Pats were down to only two tight ends on their depth chart, as veteran David Wells was released by the team on Sunday.
Heading into the 2021 season, the area most in need of assistance on New England’s roster was the tight end position. The Patriots spent big on the two top tight ends on the market. Smith joined the Pats on a four-year, $50 million contract ($39.25 million guaranteed); while Henry signed a three-year, $37.5 million contract, including $25 million in guarantees. Understandably, visions of two-tight-end sets and play action schemes began to dance in the collective minds of Patriots fans everywhere. With second year prospects Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene expected to improve upon subpar performances in 2020, the immediate future looked bright for the Patriots at the position.
While it would be inaccurate to say that the lights have significantly dimmed on the Patriots tight end prospectus for 2021, there is some cause for concern as the team prepares for the upcoming season. In addition to LaCosse’s injury on Monday, each of their top four remaining tight ends has been affected by health and or injury issues. For starters, Keene had been placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list prior to the start of training camp in late July. He would later be transferred to Injury Reserve, thus ending his 2021 campaign before it began.
Prior to the start of training camp, Asiasi was placed on the COVID-19/reserve list. After missing the team’s first nine camp practices, the former UCLA Bruin was activated by the team on August 7. Though he is back on the field, Asiasi is still in the process of returning to full strength.
On August 8, Henry suffered a shoulder injury while participating in a blocking drill. He was evaluated by the training staff, before leaving the field. He did not return to practice on that day, and has not participated in organized team drills with the team since.
But, wait…there’s more.
Jonnu Smith appeared to suffer an injury to his lower left leg during practice on Sunday, August 15. After a bit of an awkward landing during a 1-on-1 drill Smith limped off the field to seek attention from the Pats’ athletic training and medical staff. They examined his left ankle/foot, before the prolific tight end left the field barefoot. He did not return to action.
While it is a bit early to diagnose LaCosse’s injury, the news on both Henry and Smith is encouraging. Neither injury has been classified as ‘serious.’ Most importantly, neither Smith, nor Henry is expected to miss time during the regular season. However, with both of the Patriots top options at the position temporarily on the sidelines, the team is unable to practice many of the schemes and installations that come with instituting the 12-man personnel into their offense.
Should one seek a silver lining in the dismal clouds that cloak the Patriots positional grouping at tight end, it may be of comfort to note that both Henry and Smith are no stranger to strong recoveries. Despite suffering significant MCL injuries in both 2017 and 2018, Smith’s athleticism only seems to be growing. The soon-to-be 26-year-old has never played in fewer than 12 games in each of his four pro seasons with the Tennessee Titans. Even after dealing with minor ankle and quad injuries in 2020, Smith still played in 15 regular season games, and one playoff game.
When removing 2018 from the equation (which he missed due to an ACL tear in his right leg) one might be surprised to learn that Hunter Henry has actually been on the playing field more often than expected. During his remaining four years with the Los Angeles Chargers, he has played in at least 75 percent of his games, playing 14 or more in three of them. From 2016-2019, Henry is one of only 11 tight ends to have three seasons with at least 12 games played and 10 starts in the NFL.
As much as both Henry and Smith are expected to bolster New England’s offensive attack, their most important contribution, at present, is physical resilience. The Patriots will need their top tight end options healthy and ready to contribute in time for the start of the regular season on September 12, a home-opener against the Miami Dolphins. With Asiasi feeling stronger every day, he and Fumagalli will need to weather the storm for the time being. Should the recoveries of Smith, Henry and LaCosse progress as hoped, there should still be a “TE Party” to be held in New England this fall.
