FOXBOROUGH – Josh McDaniels has seen his fair share of great players. He won Super Bowls with Tom Brady. Watched Randy Moss set records. The Patriots’ offensive coordinator also saw Rob Gronkowski put together one of the most dominant seasons in NFL history for a tight end.
Throughout his decades in the NFL, McDaniels has been around some of the best to ever do it. On Friday, the longtime offensive playcaller paid homage to the greatest tight ends the Patriots have seen since the days of Gronk.
This season, Hunter Henry has been a key piece to McDaniels’ offense and a security blanket to Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. The 30-year-old is second on the Patriots in receptions (41), receiving yards (537), and tied for the team lead in receiving touchdowns (5).
Along with being a go-to pass catcher, Henry’s unselfishness also stands out.
“There’s no shortage of ways to describe this,” McDaniels said when asked about Henry’s impact. “He’s an incredible teammate. He’s one of our most respected workers on our team. Without question, every day, ready to go, takes good care of his body, is able to go out there and rep things at full speed. After so many years of being in the league, I think he’s continuing to get better at things, which is an incredible example for our younger players. He’s dependable, he studies, he’s well prepared.”
Last weekend in Cincinnati, Henry led the Patriots with seven catches, 115 yards, and a touchdown. It was the second time he’s led the Patriots in receiving this season. With 537 yards, Henry is tied for fourth in receiving among all tight ends in the NFL.
In his tenth NFL season, Henry is on pace to surpass the 700-yard mark for the first time in his career. For the veteran captain, however, those statistics don’t mean much.
“This has been fun, man. I’ve wanted to win. And that’s been the main thing,” Henry said. “I’ve played 10 years. I’ve had more losses than wins, unfortunately. But I think the most fun is just going to win football games with these guys. It’s one of the closest locker rooms I’ve probably been in. I think that’s just the fun part, too. Coming into work is fun because I enjoy being around these guys. And obviously winning. Winning helps.”
A second-round pick of the Chargers, Henry went to the playoffs once, out in Los Angeles in 2018. After signing with the Patriots in 2021, he went to the postseason for the second time. Over the last three years, the Patriots have finished with a losing record. While Henry had success, he admitted that going 8-26 over the last two seasons was difficult. That’s why this season’s 10-2 start has been so meaningful.
It also helps that Henry has grown close to Maye. The Patriots quarterback is in the midst of a breakout year, and he’s been heavily reliant on the veteran tight end.
“He’s probably one of my best friends on the team, just personally,” Henry said. “We’ve grown really close over the last two years. We’re very similar personality-wise in a lot of ways – two highly competitive individuals. So, we compete a lot and a lot of different things, feed off each other, and we’ve banked a lot of reps too. I think that now comes to fruition once we get out there on the field in tight situations.”
As the Patriots put together one of their best seasons in recent memory, Henry has played a big role in the franchise’s turnaround. As McDaniels pointed out, it’s not about his stats, either. This captain is a true team-first player – and one who McDaniels is grateful to have coached.
“I mean, there’s just anything you ask him to do, whether it’s for him to have success statistically or someone else, doesn’t make any difference. He’s going to do it to the best of his ability to try to help the team win,” McDaniels said. “And I think his only goal is for us to win at the end of the day. One of the most unselfish people I’ve ever been around. Great leader, great teammate, incredibly fortunate to have a chance to coach him.”
