Patriots’ leading pass catcher misses first practice of Week 16

Author Alex Barth

December 20th, 2023 6:38 PM

As the New England Patriots get ready to face the Denver Broncos on Sunday, they begin preparing without their top pass catching option. Tight end Hunter Henry (knee) was one of four players to miss Wednesday’s practice, after leaving Sunday’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs early.

Through 14 games, Henry leads all Patriots with 42 catches and six receiving touchdowns this season. His 419 yards are just behind rookie Demario Douglas for the team lead.

READ MORE:

—Week 16 Patriots Mailbag
—J.C. Jackson’s season “likely” over
—Former Tom Brady teammate joins Patriots practice squad

Henry is coming off his best two-game stretch of the year. Over the last two weeks against the Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers he had 10 catches on 12 targets, for 106 yards and three touchdowns.

In addition to Henry three other players missed practice on Wednesday. That group includes running back Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle), offensive tackle Conor McDermott (concussion), and safety Jabrill Peppers (hamstring).

The Patriots also had seven players limited. That group is highlighted by tackle Trent Brown (ankle/hand), who missed last weeks game. The only other new addition to the injury report is linebacker Jahlani Tavai (ankle). Wide rceiver JuJu-Smith-Schuster (ankle), defensive lineman Christian Barmore (shoulder), linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley (knee), cornerback Jonathan Jones (knee), and specialist Mattthew Slater (hamstring) were also limited.

Read more…

Patriots Mailbag: Pondering personnel

• Mark Cleland on Twitter: "With the Patriots not having a tight end signed beyond this year who could they look at in the draft? Do they try to keep Henry and/or Brown? And is their a UFA you could see them making a run at? / Twitter"

  With the Patriots not having a tight end signed beyond this year who could they look at in the draft? Do they try to keep Henry and/or Brown? And is their a UFA you could see them making a run at?

  The Patriots are going to need to make multiple moves at tight end this offseason. Bringing back Hunter Henry certainly should be on the table – not only is a good pass catcher but he provides a veteran leadership element for what will likely be a rebuild offense next year. He’d bring valuable experience not just in the NFL, but with the Patriots organization.

  As for the draft, one player I’ve kept an eye on this year is Cade Stover from Ohio State. Stover, a converted defensive end, is a plus athlete at 6-foot-5, 251 pounds. He has the potential to be a well-rounded NFL tight end, but enters the league raw having only been a full-time tight end for a few years. He’s projected to be a late Day 2 or early Day 3 pick heading into the pre-draft process..

• Andrew Butts on Twitter: "If the media is to be believed there could be a few teams after Bill. Do you think the return gets to a 1st? / Twitter"

  If the media is to be believed there could be a few teams after Bill. Do you think the return gets to a 1st?

  A top-50 pick shouldn’t be an unrealistic ask in any Bill Belichick trade. Sean Payton went for a first-round pick last year, after having been out of the league and without the same long-term resume as Belichick. Perhaps Belichick’s age and lack of recent success factor in, but they shouldn’t change the value set in a coach trade just a year ago that much.

• J Smooth on Twitter: "See a lot of names mentioned for the next Patriots GM, nobody brings up Will McClay(VP of player personnel) for the cowboys would be my #1 choice for GM. Doesn't have any patriots ties but with Kraft & Jerry Jones you know Kraft would love to mess with Jerry & take his top guy / Twitter"

  See a lot of names mentioned for the next Patriots GM, nobody brings up Will McClay(VP of player personnel) for the cowboys would be my #1 choice for GM.

  Given the way Robert Kraft has operated in the past (although it’s worth noting moving on from Bill Belichick would be entering unprecedented territory), it doesn’t seem likely the Patriots would hire somebody to a top job who they have zero experience with. That being said the Cowboys have certainly done a good job of roster building in recent years, so that’s not to say McClay would be a bad hire.

  For those looking for potential GMs from some of the top teams in the NFL, I’d recommend checking out Alex Peters, who is in his third year as the assistant GM of the San Francisco 49ers, and seventh as a high-ranking member of their personnel department. Peters previously worked for the Patriots, who gave him his first NFL job. He held various scouting roles with the organization from 2008 to 2008. He also had a stint with the Denver Broncos, helping build their Super Bowl 50 roster.

• Andrew DeSilva on Twitter: "Assuming Mayo is promoted to HC. Who would you want as OC /DC and who do you think are most likely knowing the organization. Seems like Covington could be a strong candidate for DC.Seems unlikely Kraft can easily sell O'Brien to fans after this season / Twitter"

  Assuming Mayo is promoted to HC. Who would you want as OC /DC and who do you think are most likely knowing the organization. Seems like Covington could be a strong candidate for DC.Seems unlikely Kraft can easily sell O'Brien to fans after this season

  The point I want to highlight here is current defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington as a potential defensive coordinator. Whatever happens with the coaching staff, the Patriots have a good defensive core in place and should look to maintain as much continuity – both in terms of system and personnel – as possible.

  If Mayo takes a head coaching job (in New England or elsewhere) and Steve Belichick follows his dad to his next spot, Covington is an obvious answer to take over running the defense. His group this year has been arguably the best of any position group for the Patriots. Plus, he got some defensive coordinator interviews last year. Teams have taken notice of his ability and that jump to the coordinator level is likely coming. If he doesn’t get the position in New England, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get it elsewhere.

• Fernando Vazquez on Twitter: "I feel like the lack of a veteran QB hurt not only Mac but the entire QB room, even if zappi and Mac are back what Veteran QBs are available that could help a New QB or the other relatively young QBs in the room? / Twitter"

  I feel like the lack of a veteran QB hurt not only Mac but the entire QB room, even if zappi and Mac are back what Veteran QBs are available that could help a New QB or the other relatively young QBs in the room?

  This is a good point from Fernando. While it may have not made all the difference, it felt like Brian Hoyer’s presence as a seasoned veteran in the quarterback room was missed this year. It’s a role the Patriots should try to fill next year, especially if they draft a new quarterback.

  As for who that should be? It’s smart for teams to pair young quarterbacks with mentors who play a similar style, so it’s quarterback-dependent. One name that stands out in general though is Jacoby Brissett. He’ll be entering his ninth year in the NFL in 2024, and with experience in multiple offensive systems.

• Ed Helinski 🇺🇸🇵🇱 on Twitter: "If you're grading this Patriots season, what letter grade would you give? Or might the Patriots be better off with a pass/fail situation instead? / Twitter"

  If you're grading this Patriots season, what letter grade would you give? Or might the Patriots be better off with a pass/fail situation instead?

  I go back to the quote Robert Kraft gave at the Owners’ Meetings back in March. “I’m not happy that we haven’t won a playoff game in three years. I think about that a lot,” he said at the time, later stating that “it’s very important to me that we make the playoffs” in 2023, when asked about Bill Belichick potentially breaking the coaching wins record in New England. With that parameter set by the owner, it’s hard to say the Patriots didn’t fail this season.

• Don't F**K With UConn on Twitter: "Alex, what would be your blueprint to shore up this offensive line next year? Plugging any rookie QB in this situation seems sadistic / Twitter"

  Alex, what would be your blueprint to shore up this offensive line next year? Plugging any rookie QB in this situation seems sadistic

  Assuming David Andrews comes back next year, the Patriots should be O.K. on the interior of the offensive line. Cole Strange was playing well before getting hurt, and rookie Sidy Sow has continued to show growth. That accounts for the two guard spots.

  Fixing the offensive line is all about shoring up the tackle spots. The Patriots haven’t made a premium investment at the position since drafting Isaiah Wynn in the first round in 2018. Since then, their additions at tackle have almost exclusively been Day 3 draft picks and prove-it contracts for veterans on the very back end of their careers or inexperienced younger players.

  That lack of investment is now showing as the Patriots have had to move Mike Onwenu – a pending free agent – out to right tackle and have had a revolving door at their third tackle spot, which is coming into play due to injuries to Trent Brown – another pending free agent.

  So what would I do? As simple as it sounds, invest. Use a top-50 pick on a tackle, and be aggressive in getting the top player at the position (which currently projects to be Tyron Smith or Jonah Williams) in free agency.

• https://x.com/Mark_1878_/status/1737237584366194902?s=20

  The answer to this question depends on what you define as ‘success.’ Building around the quarterback position while hoping Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe, or a bridge quarterback to be named later (Baker Mayfield?) can do more good than harm is probably the quickest way to get back to being an above .500 team competing for playoff positioning, but that strategy has its ceiling.

  In terms of getting back to being a Super Bowl contender, the Patriots will need to make (and hit on) a significant investment at the quarterback position at some point. In theory they could do that in a year or two after building up the rest of the roster, but the nature of the quarterback position makes putting off addressing it more risky. There aren’t always good quarterback options available every year, even in the draft. Passing on this year’s group of prospects could mean two, three, or four years until getting another chance to add players of this caliber at the position.

• Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at [email protected].

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Author Alex Barth

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Tags:

Hunter Henry,Injury Report,New England Patriots,NFL