One New England Patriots assistant coach may be on the rise heading into the season. Patriots tight end Jonnu Smith had praise for assistant coach Nick Caley on Friday afternoon.
Caley has been around the Patriots organization for several years, beginning his time with New England in 2015 as an offensive assistant. He received a promotion to tight ends coach in 2017.
He will have a chance to work with Hunter Henry and Smith among others. Smith in particular is looking to bounce back after a difficult 2021 season.
Smith met with the media after Friday’s practice, and was complementary of Caley’s potential.
“Nick is a hell of a coach and even a better person,” Smith said, via NESN’s Dakota Randall. “There’s not too many guys like Nick in this league. I’ve been around quite a few good ones, but he’s as hard of a worker as you’re gonna get. He’s gonna come, he’s gonna have his guys prepared every day, every game.
“And, you know, he just expects the best and demands the best out of his guys. It’s a blessing to be in the same room with the man. Nick — I’m sure great things will happen for him in the future.”
Caley will be tasked with getting more production out of the tight end room in 2022. Henry carried the group last season, and is in line for another productive year. It will be intriguing to see if Caley can help Smith get back on track after the tight end struggled last season.
