If you read our breakdown of the New England Patriots’ receivers last month, you know that the team finished 20th in passing offense (208.0 yards per game) and tied for 19th in passing touchdowns (19) as part of a unit that ranked 26th overall. While the Pats made some moves on the outside, their biggest change to the overall structure figures to come from the hiring of Bill O’Brien, who spent four years calling the plays in New England before embarking on his head coaching career.
Perhaps what’s most interesting from O’Brien’s tenure under head coach Bill Belichick is his heavy usage of two-tight end sets, most famously with the duo of TEs Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, who confounded defenses during three seasons together under O’Brien. While no one should expect the second coming of that pairing, the Patriots have two starting-caliber tight ends in Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki to challenge defenses.
Hunter Henry
Signed away from the Los Angeles Chargers before the 2021 season for big money, Henry has been steady but unspectacular during his time in New England, which in hindsight is a continuation of what he’s done since entering the NFL back in 2016. In his six campaigns, Henry has averaged 48 catches, 572 yards, and 5.3 TDs — the fact that he’s never had more than 660 yards in a season or less than 475 speaks to how consistent his production has been year to year.
Of course, another way to view his consistency is that Henry has never delivered a big-time season, and entering his seventh year in the NFL it’s fair to consider the idea that the 28-year-old has topped out. He should see a bigger role under O’Brien, though, and it’s worth noting that after some early durability struggles, Henry has played in all 34 games with New England.
Mike Gesicki
Coming off a 73-780-2 season with the Miami Dolphins in 2021, Gesicki fell out of favor in new head coach Mike McDaniel’s system that emphasized downfield shots to WRs Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, dropping to 32 catches, 362 yards, and five TDs. The veteran signed a one-year deal to join the Pats in hopes he can turn the page on last year’s disappointment and reset his market.
There’s a lot to like about Gesicki, who looked to be coming into his own with back-to-back seasons of 700-plus yards under the old regime, and he should give New England more explosiveness than TE Jonnu Smith, who was traded to the Atlanta Falcons during the offseason.
Fantasy football outlook
This is quietly among the more interesting situations in fantasy football with questions that need to be answered: How much will O’Brien emphasize the position in his second stint? Will Henry and Gesicki lift each other up statistically? Or, will they undercut one another instead? You could make a case for either player as a risk/reward TE2 with matchup utility, but Henry looks like the safer play with Gesicki offering more upside.
