Hunter Henry injury should raise some red flags for Patriots

Hunter Henry has a shoulder injury that will keep him out for some time and the new Patriots tight end is giving the team some cause for concern.

Amid an out-of-character spending spree in free agency, one of the biggest prizes the New England Patriots added to their haul was tight end Hunter Henry, who was signed in tandem with the other top available player at the position, Jonnu Smith. Though that duo isn’t the Rob Gronkowski-Aaron Hernandez pair of yesteryear in Foxborough, they represented a big upgrade in pass-catching weapons (along with Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor).

Unfortunately, Henry’s first training camp with New England is being cut short. The tight end suffered a shoulder injury that was expected to sideline him briefly. However, ESPN’s Adam Schefter followed up on Tuesday to say that he would be out “for weeks” and raising concern about the newcomer’s availability for Week 1 against the Dolphins.

There’s no reason not to believe everything we’re hearing that the injury isn’t serious and that Henry should return. However, for a player joining a new team, one with which he figures to play a huge role, and with a somewhat concerning history with injuries, there should be some tentatively raised red flags with the Patriots.

The Patriots can survive without Hunter Henry but the hope is that they won’t have to.

Yes, Hunter Henry missed the 2018 season with a torn ACL suffered in OTAs. That’s not good but, as we’ve learned, a big injury like that does not mean a player is injury prone. It can happen to anyone, from ironmen of the league to those that are always dinged up.

Unfortunately, getting dinged up has been something that has followed the tight end for his career to this point. He played 15 games in his rookie season but has missed at least two games in each of the three seasons (the ACL tear campaign removed) he’s been able to get on the field at all in. All told, he’s played in 55 of the 80 games for which he’s been in the league.

Henry’s talent as a pass-catching tight end is undeniable. He has over 575 receiving yards and at least four touchdowns in the last three seasons in which he’s played. Thus, it makes sense as to why New England was so eager to sign him.

However, these knicks that seem to go against him every year in terms of health are also probably why the franchise wanted to add Jonnu Smith. He’s not only another weapon to open up the offense but also a built-in insurance policy at tight end. And that will be valuable right away if Henry does miss regular-season time with this injury.

Hopefully, this is a one-off injury that Henry misses minimal (if any) time from and then comes back and plays well. Given his injury history of missing a few games and getting banged up every year, though, this is at least a somewhat concerning start in training camp for Henry with the Patriots.