The New England Patriots are going to be without A.J. Brown for at least the next month due to a high-ankle sprain, and while a lot of eyes are going to be on players like Romeo Doubs, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, and Kyle Williams (who could be in line for the biggest role of his NFL career so far) to make up for his absence, Hunter Henry may be just as important as anybody else.
Hunter Henry has the most chemistry with Drake Maye
This offseason was tough for Drake Maye (not even factoring in all the slander and "schedule" talk he had to deal with). He lost two of his favorite weapons, Stefon Diggs and Kayshon Boutte, and he is set to undergo a third consecutive year with a noticeably different group (he had Jerod Mayo as his head coach and Alex Van Pelt as his offensive coordinator as a rookie) because of it.
Henry has been a security blanket for Maye ever since he took over as New England's starting quarterback, and he will need to continue playing this role for the offense to find its groove without Brown on the field.
The Arkansas native was somewhat active in the Patriots' Week 1 loss to the Seattle Seahawks (three receptions on three targets for 26 yards, one first down), and he is fresh off arguably the best season of his NFL career (768 yards on 60 receptions, led the team in touchdown receptions with seven).
As Maye looks to bounce back from a horrific performance in the season opener, he's going to deal with an even bigger challenge being without Brown. Henry isn't the only player on the offense who needs to step up to help Maye out, but given his chemistry with the UNC alum, he needs to be prepared to have his number called a lot more.
The Patriots won't be able to stretch the field without A.J. Brown
And this is another reason why Henry (who is at his best in short and intermediate situations) is going to be even more important to New England's immediate success than he already was.
One of the biggest appeals of Brown's fit with the Patriots was his presence as a deep threat. He can take the top off the defense and give Maye (who established himself as one of the best deep-ball throwers in the game last year) a real target down the field. At the very least, his gravity opens up the rest of the field for everyone else to eat.
Without the three-time All-Pro receiver, though, it's going to be much more difficult for the Patriots to play the deep game. They will have to rely more on the running game (which also needs to step up greatly) and short- and medium-level plays. Henry has long made his presence felt in this area, and New England will likely depend on him to do more of the same to help Maye and the rest of the offense.
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