The Los Angeles Chargers have been graced by Antonio Gates’ receiving skills for the last decade, but could Hunter Henry become LA’s all-time best tight end?
The Los Angeles Chargers have been able to retain tight-end Antonio Gates for 14 years and he has currently holds every important receiving record possible for the franchise. He is a sure-fire Hall-of-Famer and a beloved player that fans will always treasure. That being said, could Los Angeles’ second-year tight end Hunter Henry ultimately surpass the all-time great tight end over the next 14 years?
It was pretty clear that the Chargers front-office felt it was necessary to draft a young tight end before the 2016 season, and boy did it pay off.
Gates was sidelined for a majority of last year and Henry stepped in and produced at a very high level. According to Pro Football Focus, Henry finished his rookie season with 36 receptions for 478 yards and eight touchdowns.
No, he didn’t have a very high receiving total, but the eight touchdowns should make Los Angeles Chargers fans extremely excited. Henry finished at No. 14 in total receiving touchdowns last year and had more receiving touchdowns than Doug Baldwin, Kelvin Benjamin, Larry Fitzgerald, and Julio Jones.
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No, he’s not going to put up 1,000 receiving yards every year, especially with the receiving core Los Angeles has put together, but he does have an extremely high touchdown ceiling. This is where I believe Henry can untimely surpass Antonio Gates on the Chargers’ all-time stats list.
According to Pro Football Focus, Gates has the most receiving touchdowns of any Chargers player ever with 111. On average, that’s about eight touchdowns per year over 14 seasons in the NFL. If Henry can stay healthy over the next 14 seasons, he will absolutely surpass Gates’ Chargers touchdown record.
That being said, there’s still a kicker. The NFL will continually trend towards throwing the football and they just drafted a fantastic rookie receiver in Mike Williams. If Los Angeles can find themselves a franchise quarterback to replace Philip Rivers, then Williams will be the guy who will hold every Chargers’ receiving record when it’s all said and done.
Next: Is Teddy Bridgewater The Chargers Future QB?
The good news for Hunter Henry is that I believe he will break Gates touchdown record of 111, but the bad news is that record will only the tip of the iceberg for Mike Williams. It’s okay, though, because Chargers fans can rest easy in the fact that they will have two young, amazing offensive weapons for years to come.