Henry, Smith new suns in Pats’ orbit
Belichick beefs up at point of attack
Pick a Patriots loss in the Bill Belichick era, any loss, and the next week likely went something like this.
Right away, the Pats unleashed their frustrations at the line of scrimmage. Offensively, they returned to their earliest roots, running the ball from heavy personnel with a complementary play-action passing plan. Defensively, they stonewalled their opponent with a renewed fervor up front that lasted at least through the first half.
After slogging through his first losing season in 20 years, Belichick has taken a similar approach to the offseason.
A week before striking free-agent deals with two defensive run-stuffers Monday, Belichick’s beefed up his offensive line by trading for Pro Bowler Trent Brown, a 380-pound old friend. Brown projects to play right tackle, just as he did over the team’s last Super Bowl run. Next to Brown the Patriots’ two highest-profile free agents will soon get to work, fortifying the team’s run game and helping the pass offense as middle-of-the-field.
Tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith are the new suns around which the Pats offense will revolve. Henry inked a 3-year deal with the same average annual salary as Smith, according to reports Tuesday, meaning they will co-star in New England.
Both can operate as traditional in-line tight ends and create mismatches as receivers. In particular, Henry and Smith kill zone coverage. Over the past two seasons, their respective quarterbacks have posted a passer rating north of 110 when throwing in their directions, per Sports Info. Solutions.
Expect the Pats to amplify their talents against zone with a high play-action rate on early downs — when defenses are most often in zone coverage — which will create throwing lanes at the second level. Last season, Cam Newton passed most efficiently when targeting the middle of the field on intermediate and deep throws, according to Pro Football Focus charting data.
Running seam routes and deep crossers, those will be sweet spots for both of his new tight ends.
Where Henry and Smith diverge is in athleticism. Smith separates better than Henry, who’s more of a technician with his routes and wins better at the catch point at 6-foot 5, two inches taller than his new running mate. Smith is also a monster after the catch, breaking 14 tackles on 41 receptions a year ago.
This makes Smith a better option versus man coverage, against which he’s scored a touchdown on roughly 1 out of 3 three catches since 2018. Meanwhile, Henry has caught 50% of his targets against man-to-man the past two seasons. Both are capable working on an island, but those numbers suggest Henry will be more often bound to the tackle box, whereas Smith should roam regularly about the formation to work 1-on-1.
That type of usage will allow the Pats to hunt and exploit mismatches against man coverage. The Patriots have always split their tight ends out wide, forcing defenses to declare pre-snap whether they’re playing man or zone. Smith’s experience doing this for for the Titans helped make him a natural fit in New England. Henry was a regular in the slot for the Chargers, too.
When fielded together, the Pats’ new tight ends will force defenses to either bulk up against the threat of run or risk matching one of them with an ill-equipped safety to guard against the pass. A true pick your poison, the new beauty of the Patriots offense.