Based on the New England Patriots’ 2026 offseason moves, the organization made improving quarterback Drake Maye’s offensive weapons a priority. In the process, the Patriots added to a previously aging tight end room.
Following an Austin Hooper exit to the Atlanta Falcons in free agency, New England signed hybrid tight end Julian Hill. It also selected Notre Dame’s Eli Raridon in the third round of the NFL Draft. However, a season-ending injury to Hill during a spring practice left a void in the group
that remains unresolved.
In the final edition of our Patriots training camp preview series, we’ll take a look at New England’s tight end corps in its entirety and discuss the biggest takeaways heading into the summer practices.
*Denotes player on the Pats Pulpit 53-man roster projection
Depth chart
Starters: Hunter Henry (31)*, Eli Raridon (22/R)* | Backups: Tanner Arkin (22/R)*, Jack Westover (27), C.J. Dippre (24), Mitch Van Vooren (25), Jeremiah Franklin (22) | IR: Julian Hill (25)
Hunter Henry is entering his sixth season leading the position group and has proved to be nothing short of reliable. But as he enters his age-31 season, it’s fair to question whether he’ll have the same receiving impact on offense as in recent years.
So far, there haven’t been any indications this offseason of that being the case, and with unproven depth behind him, New England will need him to remain a stable presence.
The Patriots drafted Raridon as another receiving threat to pair with Henry, who can also extend vertically up the seam and be a red-zone threat. Two ACL tears on the same knee frequently sidelined him during his first two collegiate seasons with the Fighting Irish; Raridon’s a developmental piece that will need to make a quick impact in Foxboro.
New England’s fullback last season, Jack Westover, is also returning and switching back to tight end following the Reggie Gilliam signing. The 27-year-old has only caught two receptions in his Patriots career but was an All-Pac-12 honorable mention in 2023 as a receiver at Washington.
Rounding out the depth chart are 2025 undrafted free agent C.J. Dippre, who spent the majority of his rookie campaign on the practice squad, undrafted rookies Tanner Arkin and Jeremiah Franklin. The latter, just like second-year man Mitch Van Vooren, was added right before camp. Without Hill practicing, Dippre or Arkin seem to have the best opportunity out of quartet to make the final roster primarily as a blocking tight end.
Key question: Will New England keep adding to the unit?
While Hill’s strength is blocking, executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf believes he has untapped potential as a receiver. However, the tight end’s injury restructures the position heading into training camp, leaving the Patriots without an immediate versatile blocker and receiving threat even after adding the likes of Van Vooren and Franklin.
As a consequence, the team might keep exploring the market to add some veteran talent. A few available free agents include renowned blockers include Will Dissly, Nick Vannett and Pharaoh Brown, who was with New England in 2023.
Having an established blocker in the room would. help seal the open wound left by Hill and give the team more security than the likes of Arkin, Van Vooren and Franklin can provide. This would also allow Raridon to step up in a high-volume receiving role.
X-Factor: Eli Raridon
Because of Raridon’s natural ability as a receiver, he can make a substantial impact as a receiving threat for Maye in year one.
The athletic tight end posted a 9.46 Relative Athletic Score for his testing at the NFL Combine in March. Raridon is also a fluid mover for his size (6-foot-6, 245 pounds) with a large catch radius. He can be a consistent target over the middle of the field at the intermediate level and vertically.
“Willing, conscientious, wants to learn,” Vrabel said of Raridon’s progress at minicamp. “I think there are a lot of new things that come in from college, and terminology is different, and there are a lot of things that are new to him, but I would say that he picks things up quickly. When he’s able to play with the speed that he has available to him, that’s kind of shown up.”
Still, it may take considerable time for the rookie to earn consistent offensive snaps.
Raridon’s extensive list of previous injuries in college makes him more of a project player to begin his young career. In addition to refining technical components, as a receiver, the issue with him immediately stepping into a high-volume role is the necessary improvement as a blocker.
If Raridon finds his stride in training camp, increasing his play strength at the point of attack and refining his technique, he’ll be a dynamic weapon for the offense and quickly fill a pressing need.
