Following the season-ending injury suffered by tight end Julian Hill, the Patriots have an opening on their eventual 53-man roster at the position.
While head coach Mike Vrabel noted this spring the team will likely make an addition, options remain on the current roster behind Hunter Henry. Among them is undrafted free agent Tanner Arkin.
“I think my mindset right now is to do everything I can, really,” Arkin said last Friday at Newton North High School following the team’s rookie football clinic.
“I mean, I’m an undrafted rookie. I’ve been given a great opportunity, and I really just need to maximize it and show the team and the organization what I’m about. That’s my plan going forward.”
Arkin profiles as a potential replacement for Hill due to his physicality and blocking ability. While he did not get to showcase that aspect of his game in non-padded spring practices, the Illinois product believes his skillset fits well in Josh McDaniels’ offense.
“I do, definitely,” Arkin said. “I think we use a lot of different personnel [groupings] — fullback, multiple tight end sets — and just the history of Coach McDaniels and how he’s used the tight end position. I think it’s a great fit, and I love playing for him and for the team. It’s been great so far.”
After conversations with New England, Arkin identified the Patriots as a strong landing spot after going undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft. He joins a depth chart that features Henry, third-round pick Eli Raridon, and fellow depth options Jack Westover and C.J. Dippre.
With training camp approaching, Arkin will have a legitimate opportunity to carve out a role in a room searching for answers behind Henry and next to Raridon. As he learns the offense and adjusts to life in the NFL, the rookie has leaned on the veteran leadership around him.
“I think coming off of last year, there’s a lot of momentum and a lot of camaraderie on the offense,” he said. “Although there’s a lot of new faces, everybody seems really tight and everybody’s welcoming. There’s a bunch of great leaders on the offense, starting with Drake [Maye] and down the room to Hunter and the tight end room.
“There’s just a lot of guys that have played a lot of football, and it seems like they know what’s going on. They lead by example, they set the tempo on the field, and as a rookie, I’m just trying to learn from them.”
