New England Patriots: Jonnu Smith is due for a bounce back season

As we look ahead to the 2022 NFL season, New England Patriots fans…we should be excited. There are a lot of pieces that will be in their second year with New England and looking to make even bigger contributions.

Mac Jones is no longer a rookie and will look to expand on an impressive rookie campaign. The defense has some playmakers in Matthew Judon and Christian Barmore. Plus, a pair of tight ends in Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith will be entering their second campaigns with the Pats. WhileHenry enjoyed a successful 2021 season in New England, Smith was a little underwhelming to say the least.

New England Patriots need Jonnu Smith to get it together

Remember when Smith signed with the New England Patriots last off-season? We were all extremely excited! We thought to ourselves, “Here is the tight end we’ve needed since Rob Gronkowski left after 2018!” Keep in mind, Smith was the first big signing the Patriots made last off-season. Bill Belichick didn’t mind signing Smith to a four year, $50M deal. We didn’t mind either quite frankly.

But the numbers were not quite up to par for what Patriots fans expected for the tight end. He was mostly used for blocking purposes and caught just one touchdown pass throughout the season. However, 2022 is a brand new season, and there are a few reasons why Jonnu Smith is due for a bounce-back season in 2022.