How Hunter Henry Is Assisting Injured Patriots Teammate

Earlier in the offseason, during an OTA practice, the New England Patriots lost tight end Julian Hill to a season-ending injury. While the injury wasn't disclosed, head coach Mike Vrabel referred to it as "devastating."

The injury was severe enough to put Hill on injured reserve, ending his first season with the Patriots before it even began. After signing a three-year contract to join the team in free agency, the expected TE2 on the roster won't begin to suit up for meaningful football for until 2027.

That's a feeling that one of Hill's positional teammates has felt before. Hunter Henry missed out on the 2018 season after suffering a torn ACL during optional workouts with the Los Angeles Chargers. Now the Patriots

"I actually had a similar thing happen," Henry said after the first day of mandatory minicamp. "My third year I got hurt in OTAs as well, it was a freak thing that put me out for a year. So, I’ve communicated that I’ve been through it and I’ve come out on the other side, obviously.

"Hopefully, I can just be there for him and be someone he can rely on through this rehab process and the coming-back process."

Hunter Henry Knows What An Offseason Injury Is Like

New England Patriots tight end Julian Hill speaks to the media following the team's voluntary offseason workouts. | Ethan Hurwitz / Patriots On SI

The Patriots will now need to get a major uptick in production from the tight end position with the loss of Hill. Henry, as expected, remains at the top of that depth chart and is coming off one of the best seasons of his career. He caught 60 passes for a career-high 768 yards and seven touchdowns, as well as adding one in the AFC Wild Card game against his former team.

Hill was primarily brought to New England to replace Austin Hooper as the top blocking option at that spot. His $15 million contract was legitimate backup money, and now there will have to be a change in expectations without him on the field.

"It’s tough to lose a guy like that," Henry said. "I really enjoyed being around Julian these past few months and getting to know him just as a guy. His locker was actually right next to mine, so I got to spend a lot of time with him day in and day out. What an unfortunate thing."

With him unable to go, that puts more on the plate for third round rookie Eli Raridon, and young tight end/fullback hybrid Jack Westover. The Patriots also have CJ Dippre (second season) and Tanner Arkin (undrafted rookie) on the roster.

Will Patriots Bring In A TE Replacement?

Dec 17, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry (85) makes the touchdown catch against Kansas City Chiefs safety Mike Edwards (21) in the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

"Just from a numbers standpoint at camp, I think that is somewhere where we will probably have to evaluate the numbers," Vrabel said when asked about the possibility of adding another player at tight end. "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."

As Henry tries to help his new teammate work through the struggles of an injury, his position coach is also doing the same thing.

"I’m just praying for a speedy recovery, making sure he stays in the right head space, mentality-wise. This is going to be a long road," tight ends coach Thomas Brown said. "I told him just make sure during the recovery process you don’t separate yourself too much from everybody else because I’ve unfortunately been there too many times myself as a former player."

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