The New England Patriots have plenty of positions to address during free agency and only so much time to do it...
If the club intends on putting itself in a position to regularly contend, it will have to put together another near-flawless offseason as it brings aboard pass-rushers, wide receivers, offensive linemen, linebackers, and tight ends -- a group that reportedly now includes tight end Julian Hill.
Let's take a look at the newest tenant at One Patriot Place!
Bio:
Julian Hill
Position: TE
Height: 6’ 4"
Weight: 251lbs
2026 Age: 26 (July 9, 2000)
2025: 14 G, 15 REC, 140 REC YDS
The Patriots signed Julian Hill because:
... they clearly want to run the ball down their opponents' throats.
Hill isn't going to contribute very much in the passing game (33 receptions in 45 games) but he will bring a much-needed element to the running game (68.4% of his career snaps have come as a blocker) -- with the expectation that he, alongside fellow free agency acquisition Reggie Gilliam, can help introduce a new element for Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson.
New England hasn't exactly kept an even run-to-pass ratio under offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, finishing with splits of 502/494 (2025), 535/489 (2021), 440/502 (2020), 620/447 (2019), and 378/478 (2018) in his last five seasons with the organization -- which means he plays to the strength of his players. Drake Maye should be given any and every opportunity to chuck the football, but it will be imperative that he's doing that around all of those carries for Stevenson and Henderson.
Hill will help make sure those carries are successful.
The Patriots' next move should be:
... finding someone who will actually catch the football.
New England's tight end issues haven't exactly been solved, with Hill joining an uninspiring group that includes Hunter Henry, Jack Westover, 🔹Marshall Lang, and 🔹CJ Dippre -- with the latter three totaling just one reception across the 266 snaps they collectively played in 2025.
If they want to continue running things through tight ends when they target the middle of the field, they'll need to make another addition -- though something tells me they'll wait until the 2026 NFL Draft.
More NFL: Patriots Offseason Preview: Everything Team Must Address In 2026