Hunter Henry vs. Jonnu Smith: Which Tight End Has the Edge?
By Peter Dewey
New England Patriots tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith have disappointed fans and bettors early in the season.
Neither player has been as successful as many expected when they signed with New England this offseason, but Henry appears to have a leg up on Smith.
Despite only making 10 catches for 109 yards through the Patriots’ first three games, Henry ran significantly more routes than Smith in Week 3.
#Patriots Week 3 TE route rates:
— Jared Smola (@SmolaDS) September 27, 2021
Hunter Henry - 70%
Jonnu Smith - 26%
Not only that, but Smith struggled with drops, including one that led to a pick-six. After having just three drops in the 2020 season with the Tennessee Titans, Smith has the same number in just three games as a Patriot.
I'm just not sure what Jonnu Smith was doing with his feet prior to the ball getting on him. Looks like there was more pitter patter/crossover/whatever you wanna call it than needed. I don't know, but he did something very similar on the ball he dropped vs. the #Jets. pic.twitter.com/0BA1EyqLNx
— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) September 27, 2021
Bill Belichick appeared to be creating another lethal tight end duo like the one he had when Rob Gronkowski was in New England, but it hasn’t paid off so far this season.
Unless Smith can become more reliable in the passing game, it seems that this is Henry’s job to lose even though his usage has been underwhelming. Mac Jones is going to have his ups and downs as a rookie, but the Patriots’ pass catchers can’t make life harder for him like Smith did this past week.
The Patriots will get to face Gronk and Tom Brady on Sunday Night Football in Week 4 when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers come to town. WynnBET Sportsbook has the Patriots as a 6.5-point home underdog with the total at 49.0.
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