The Patriots this offseason will need to figure out who will be their starting quarterback for the 2021 NFL season.
New England also will need to figure out who its signal-caller will be throwing the ball to.
The Patriots need to improve their receiving corps if they want to be more competitive than they were in the 2020 campaign. This, of course, includes tight ends, a position group New England has seen extremely little production from since Rob Gronkowski left Foxboro.
There are a few tight ends expected to be available in free agency this spring who potentially could provide a significant boost to the Patriots’ offense. Arguably the best of the bench is Hunter Henry, who NFL analyst Peter Schrager believes would be a “perfect fit” in New England.
“Why would Hunter Henry and the New England Patriots be the perfect fit? (The) Patriots, No. 1, they need offense, they need weapons, they need weapons and they need more weapons,” Schrager said Thursday on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football,” as transcribed by WEEI. “One of the worst offenses, skill position-wise that we’ve seen in a long time with what the Patriots brought onto the field last year. They have some young players, they have some budding talent. But gosh, do they need to start over. They do. And they have the salary cap space to do it.
“I believe Hunter Henry makes a lot of sense for New England, but he is a performer. He is a guy who can catch the ball. He can block. And he’s just entering the prime of his career. I think at the very least, you have a player that can be a reliable pass-catcher, something I don’t think the Patriots had when Julian Edelman went down last season.”
Unfortunately for the Patriots, Henry himself might not be as crazy about the idea of taking his talents to New England, at least as of now. The 26-year-old is looking to get paid — a desire the Patriots can fulfill — but he also recently noted he wants to play alongside a good quarterback. New England might have that box checked by the start of training camp, but it remains a glaring void with the start of the new league year just a few weeks away.
It would make plenty of sense for the Patriots to at least take a swing at signing Henry, though, especially when you consider how fond Bill Belichick is of the tight end.
