A lot has been made about how the Patriots will find a long-term solution under center this offseason, which is warranted given the importance of the position. While the true successor to Tom Brady's former throne may become the primary focus of the 2021 offseason for New England, Bill Belichick's club would be wise to also focus on addressing the tight end position. After all, the Patriots have yet to truly replace Rob Gronkowski in that key role within their offense.
Over the last two seasons following Gronkowski's initial retirement, New England has seen minimal production from the tight end position. In 2019, the combination of Ben Watson, Ryan Izzo, and Matt LaCosse totaled 36 receptions for 418 yards and two touchdowns. Entering Week 13 of this season, Izzo and rookie Dalton Keene have combined for 201 receiving yards on 13 catches. 2020 third-round pick, Devin Asiasi, has yet to contribute any receiving stats. While Keene and Asiasi serve as developmental pieces, they are in desperate need of a talent upgrade atop that spot on the depth chart.
One way they could address that is by targeting the tight end they'll see on Sunday: Hunter Henry. The Chargers star is set to be an unrestricted free agent this coming offseason and it appears Bill Belichick has been a fan of his dating back to high school.
"Henry's really been a great player," Belichick told reporters this week. "I've watched him pretty much his whole career. He started at Pulaski Academy down in Little Rock, played for Coach [Kevin] Kelly down there. He had a great career there, went to Arkansas and had a great career at Arkansas. Went to the Chargers and with [Virgil] Green out, he's really played the Y role this year and showed good ability to block, catch. He runs a variety of routes. He's come back off the injury and has been a very, very productive player for them, along with all their other good skill players. But, he's done a good job for them in a running game, as well as the passing game."
Henry would instantly become not only the best tight end on New England's roster but arguably the best pass-catcher of the bunch currently sitting in Foxborough. No matter if it's Cam Newton -- who thrived throwing to Greg Olsen during their days in Carolina -- or some other quarterback who steps in under center to begin 2021, the tight end position is pivotal to how New England operates. Henry not only provides top tier talent but long-term upside at just 26 years old by the start of next season.
Outside of a QB, this should be the prime offseason target on that side of the ball.
How to watch
Date: Sunday Dec. 6 | Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
Location: SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA)
TV: CBS | Stream: CBS All Access
Follow: CBS Sports App
Looming COVID issue during California trip
The Patriots are about to embark on a three-game road trip that includes back-to-back games in Los Angeles, starting with the Chargers in Week 13 and then the Rams in Week 14. While this game seems to be intact, the news that both of those franchises are reportedly getting together contingency plans to relocate due to the COVID-19 pandemic may impact New England, who are staying at UCLA during this L.A. road trip.
Recently, Santa Clara County implemented new restrictions that forced the San Francisco 49ers to relocate to Arizona for the foreseeable future. While Los Angeles County hasn't been under the same mandate as their Californians upstate, the city and county of L.A. recently issued stay-at-home orders to help curb the spread of COVID-19. While there are certainly more important things going on in the country and around the globe, this is something to monitor from our corner of the sports world.
Will Jarrett Stidham get a shot?
This is a question that crossed my mind after seeing Cam Newton appear on the injury report this week with an abdomen injury. While it appears like Newton will be good to go against the Chargers, I do wonder if New England will ever hand the reins over to Stidham in the closing weeks of the regular season to see what the 2019 fourth-round pick has. After all, there was a time, albeit a brief time, where Stidham looked like he was going to be the heir apparent to Tom Brady.
To this point in Stidham's career, we've only seen him come in under duress. With 27 career dropbacks, Stidham has 13 completions (48.1%) for just 138 yards, one touchdown, and four interceptions. Yuck.
That said, all of that production has come without a full week of practice with the first-team and preparation as the game day starter. If the Patriots come out of this three-game road trip with the playoff door shut, I wonder if Belichick would shift his mindset to more of an evaluator and see what Stidham has with a week to prepare as the starter.
As long as there is a thread of a playoff run, however, it's hard to see the Patriots turning away from a healthy Newton.
Defenses daring offense to throw
One thing that I'll be curious to see in this matchup with Los Angeles is whether or not head coach Anthony Lynn will try and deploy a similar defensive attack on the Patriots that the Cardinals did a week ago. Arizona eventually dared New England to throw the football by stacking eight men in the box and committing to shutting down the run. Despite the loss, that proved to be successful as Cam Newton completed just nine of his 18 pass attempts in Week 12 for 84 yards and two interceptions. That was Newton's sixth game without a passing touchdown this season. Meanwhile, the Patriots are averaging 28.7 pass attempts per game, the fourth-fewest in the NFL -- it would also be their fewest pass attempts per game in a season since 1992.
"I feel like the Cardinals game was a little bit different than the Texans game," receiver Jakobi Meyers told reporters this week. "They definitely -- I mean we have some great backs -- I feel like they put a lot more attention on our backs and it put a lot more stress on the receivers as a unit to go out there and get open and make plays to alleviate some of that stress."
The passing attack has been a problem for the Patriots in 2020 and that's partially on Newton's limitations but also the lack of talent at receiver. Entering Week 13, Newton has thrown it deep on just 6.4% of his pass attempts, which is the fifth-lowest rate in the league (min. 200 pass attempts). That could suggest that Patriots receivers are having a tough time with separation. Regardless, Newton and the rest of the New England pass-catchers will need to elevate quickly so that opposing defenses begin respecting the air attack and, in turn, makes things easier for the ground game.
James White the perfect mentor for Harris
While their styles may be a bit different, both Damien Harris and James White have had similar come-ups in the NFL. For White, he played in just three games his rookie season in 2014 before evolving into a key piece to the backfield for the last six seasons. With Harris, he suited up in just two games last year before blossoming into the feature-back in 2020. As Harris continues his maturation process in his young career, it appears White has taken him under his wing.
"I can't even put into words how much you can learn from a guy like James White," Harris told reporters Friday. "First of all being a professional, the way he takes care of his business, the way he comes to work every day with a mentality of being a leader and a go-to guy that we can depend on, and he never lets us down. I think that's also a testament to the way that he leads, the way that he approaches the game, and just the type of person that he is. He shows up to work every single day, does his job, does it well, rarely ever makes any mistakes, and is just a guy you can to and say that's what this team is supposed to be about. His toughness, the way he approaches the game mentally, physically, the way he takes care of himself, keeps himself available, and then goes out there and does his job.
"Just for short, I think having a guy like that to look up to has been helpful in my development as a player and I really look up to him a lot, and he knows that, I tell him every day every chance I get. James White is definitely a guy you can say yeah, I want to be like James White when I grow up."
White has been a team captain for the Patriots for the past three seasons so if Harris truly does follow in his footsteps, New England is looking at another leader coming into his own.
"close" - Google News
December 06, 2020 at 09:48PM
https://ift.tt/3gh54g2
Patriots notes: New England to get up-close look at Hunter Henry, who should be a top target this offseason - CBS Sports
"close" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2QTYm3D
https://ift.tt/3d2SYUY
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Patriots notes: New England to get up-close look at Hunter Henry, who should be a top target this offseason - CBS Sports"
Post a Comment