(With the team off, the Patriots Newsletter will be on hiatus for the next few weeks. It'll return on July 24th with Day 1 of training camp kicking July 25th).
Kicking off
The Patriots have a tight end problem.
Their depth with Julian Hill out for the season?
Pretty much non-existent.
There’s Hunter Henry, and a collection of unproven players. Rookie Eli Raridon, the team's 2026 third round pick, needs some development before assuming the No. 2 role next to Henry.
Jack Westover is a tight end, who primarily played fullback last year, who is flipping back to his original position. C.J. Dippre and undrafted free agent Tanner Arkin are also in the mix.
If Henry were to get hurt, there’s no one in the tight end room who can come close to replicating his role. It’s one of the bigger concerns for the team coming out of minicamp.
Mike Vrabel even acknowledged the Patriots would likely have to make a move to shore up the position.
“I think just from a numbers standpoint in camp, I think that’s somewhere we’ll probably have to evaluate the numbers,” Vrabel said. “There’s 90 guys, 91 guys on every team. So, we’ll just have to take a look at that, but I would say that’s probably somewhere where we would have to address.”
Will Dissly, Pharaoh Brown and Nick Vannett are among the more established veterans currently available in free agency who fit the profile.
The Patriots could also swing a trade.
If they are so inclined, Michael Mayer of the Las Vegas Raiders comes to mind. He's fallen down the depth chart with Brock Bowers on board and is in a contract year.
In any case, this is one of the top storylines to monitor during the break leading up to training camp.
Here are some clips from the week:
