Saturday’s training camp practice was only open to the media for the New England Patriots, and ESPN’s Mike Reiss noted that veteran tight end Austin Hooper went down with an injury during the session.
Hooper has been working in as the top tight end with Hunter Henry sidelined with an injury. Now, the Patriots could be in a position where their top-two tight ends are hurt.
According to Patriots coach Jerod Mayo, Henry’s injury isn’t expected to be long-term. So there’s a chance he can work his way back into the mix soon. However, if Hooper misses any time, things start to look scary thin at the tight end position.
Injury to monitor at Patriots practice: TE Austin Hooper, who is working as No. 1 option with Hunter Henry sidelined with an undisclosed injury that Jerod Mayo said wasn’t a long-term situation, hobbles off.
Patriots already thin at TE.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) August 17, 2024
This could potentially open up more opportunities for rookie Jaheim Bell. The seventh-round pick has shown flashes of potential throughout training camp, and he could benefit from more reps. Veteran Mitchell Wilcox should factor into the mix as well.
The injury bug has been an ongoing problem along the Patriots’ offensive line, and now, the tight end position is dealing with those same issues. It’s a rough turn of events with the start of the regular season right around the corner.
