00:00 What's going on everyone? It's Taylor Cox here for CNS Media.
00:02 We're counting down the days to Patriots training camp by looking at 10 questions facing the team.
00:07 This segment is brought to you by FanDuel, America's number one sports book.
00:10 Today we're diving into whether or not the tight ends are going to be the central point
00:19 of the Patriots passing attack. Hunter Henry and Mac Jones showed fantastic chemistry during Mac
00:24 Jones' rookie year, with Hunter Henry showing up consistently in the red zone. Unfortunately,
00:28 injuries slowed down his progress, and under Matt Patricia, Hunter Henry's role in the offense was
00:33 significantly reduced. Hunter Henry is also the team's only consistent in-line tight end,
00:38 and Bill O'Brien's shown a tendency to be able to maximize those type of receivers.
00:42 Johnny Smith was a bit of a disappointment in New England, as he was an inconsistent blocker
00:46 who couldn't contribute in the passing game downfield. However, Mike Gacicchi looks to be
00:50 a significant upgrade, at least in the passing attack. While Gacicchi isn't an in-line tight end
00:55 like a Hunter Henry, he has a lot of positional flexibility as an oversized slot receiver who can
00:59 also contribute off the ball and sometimes out wide in certain formations. He's a huge target
01:04 with glue traps for hands, who does struggle if contacted early in the route, but is never out
01:10 due to his massive catch radius. Bill O'Brien also showed with Aaron Hernandez that he does an
01:14 excellent job utilizing versatile talent at the tight end position, so expect to see Gacicchi used
01:19 all over the offense. Another name to look out for is Anthony Ferkser, who the Patriots recently
01:34 signed after he spent a season with the Falcons and several seasons with the Titans before that.
01:38 He's another versatile player who's spent time at full back, multiple tight end spots,
01:42 and in the slot, specifically at the number three position in empty formations,
01:46 where Bill O'Brien likes to put a lot of his playmakers. Ferkser made several impressive
01:50 catches in mini camp, so look for him to carve out a role as a potential tight end three.
01:55 For full Patriots training camp coverage, make sure you subscribe to our Patriots Press Pass
01:59 YouTube channel, and for all of our written work, make sure to check out our website clnsmedia.com.
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