Patriots Starter Surprisingly Lands on Monday's Injury Report

After an embarrassing Week 3 loss to the New York Jets, the Patriots have come down to earth. In the first two weeks of the season, New England had outperformed expectations, creating hope and optimism for the rest of the 2024 campaign. The way they were outplayed on both ends of the field on Thursday paints a bleak picture for their Week 4 matchup in San Francisco.

As part of their preparations for Sunday's game, the Patriots had a practice on Monday and it had some notable absences. The veteran defender Ja'Whuan Bentley wasn't present as expected, as well as cornerback Alex Austin. The more surprising absence, however, was veteran tight end Hunter Henry. According to Patriots insider Evan Lazar, the 29-year-old didn't practice for an unknown reason as of now.

Patriots News: TE Hunter Henry Misses Practice

Henry didn't suffer a visible injury during Thursday's loss, so this comes as a surprise. The tight end had suffered a lower-body injury in training camp but was able to return in time for the season opener. He has been one of the most effective pass-catchers so far in the underwhelming Patriots offense.

Having played over 78% of offensive snaps, Henry has 12 catches for 136 yards. He leads the team in targets, receptions, and yards so far.

During the offseason, Henry signed a three-year contract extension with the Patriots. Jerod Mayo had referred to him as one of the team leaders and Henry has fulfilled expectations so far. This young and inexperienced Patriots team desperately needs him and will hope that this appearance on the injury report is a temporary, non-injury-related designation.

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