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New England's Two Tight End Sets Give Drake Maye His Best Weaponry Moving Forward
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- New England's Two Tight End Sets Give Drake Maye His Best Weaponry Moving Forward
Drake Maye had an abysmal start to the 2026 season, but has recovered over the last four weeks with 12 touchdowns and two interceptions, getting New England three wins in its last four games and back into the AFC playoff picture.
A big reason for his performance turnaround is the emergence of his tight ends, Hunter Henry and Eli Raridon . From Weeks 4-7, the pair has combined for 29 receptions, 361 receiving yards, and three touchdowns.
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New England's tight ends came up big in Week 7 against the Chicago Bears in prime time. Maye and Henry connected on a season-high seven receptions for 71 yards. Raridon also reeled in three of four targets for 56 yards, including a trip to the end zone.
Oct 22, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New England Patriots tight end Eli Raridon (82) runs for a touchdown against Chicago Bears linebacker Devin Bush (12) during the third quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
Henry, 6′ 5″, and Raridon, 6′ 6″, have been two big bright spots in New England's passing game, especially when you take into account the offense is down multiple key contributors in receivers Romeo Doubs and Mack Hollins , and A.J. Brown , since coming back from his high-ankle injury, has delivered a pair of underwhelming performances.
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Season Outlook
Through seven weeks, despite a laundry list of injuries, Drake Maye and the offense are starting to round into form, putting up 24+ points in each of the last four games.
The hope is that New England can facilitate some trades to bring in some veteran pass catchers to replace the losses of Hollins and Doubs to improve the receiver room. But until those acquisitions are made, Hunter Henry and Eli Raridon will look to continue to be a focal point in the Patriots' offense.
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Their next opportunity will be on Sunday in Miami against the division rival Dolphins and their defense that has struggled to contain tight ends this season.
This story was originally published by Athlon on Oct 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
