The New England Patriots are preparing for the start of their 2024 season, the first under head coach Jerod Mayo.
With just a few weeks until their opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Patriots have run into an injury problem in their tight end room.
The team's top tight end, Hunter Henry, has been dealing with a lower-body injury that's kept him off of the field for over a week.
Over the weekend, Austin Hooper and Mitchell Wilcox also suffered injuries during two training camp practices, which allowed rookie Jaheim Bell to take over.
On Monday, Mayo, speaking on "The Greg Hill Show," explained that he isn't overly concerned.
"I would say these aren't extended recoveries for these guys," Mayo said (transcribed by Mike Reiss) They'll be ready to go relatively early in the season."
With how important tight ends are in this offense and for quarterbacks in general, this could be a big blow for New England going forward.
We've already seen Jacoby Brissett rely heavily on Hooper throughout camp and into the preseason games, so he'll have to form quick connections with Bell, La'Michael Pettway and Jacob Warren.
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