As a pairing, Henry and Hooper were one of the best tight end tandems in football last season, a clear bright spot in what was a rocky season overall for New England's offense. Along with their box-score production, Maye was comfortable throwing to his veteran tight ends as security blankets in key situations. For example, Henry tied for the team lead with 19 receptions vs. man coverage while also producing 18 first-down conversions on third down. Hooper, on the other hand, was sneaky explosive with five catches over 20-plus yards last season.
Following a productive season where they developed a rapport with their young quarterback, Henry and Hooper enter camp as the clear-cut top tight ends on the depth chart. The bigger unknown at the position is whether the Patriots will carry a third tight end on the 53-man roster, with a slew of first-and second-year players competing for a potential TE3 spot. From this perspective, it's not a necessity for New England to carry a third tight end on the 53-man roster due to practice squad flexibility, so Bell, Westover, Dippre, or Scott will have to earn their keep.
Starting with the two holdovers, the Patriots selected [Jaheim Bell](https://www.patriots.com/team/players-roster/jaheim-bell/) in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft. There was some excitement as far as seventh-round picks are concerned about Bell due to his athletic profile (8.44 RAS) and solid college production (39 catches, 503 yards in 2023 at Florida State). The Swiss Army knife tight end, who played some running back in college as well, can play multiple spots detached from the formation, whether that's on the wing, split out in the slot, or out of the backfield.