Patriots Rule Out Hunter Henry After Foot Injury in Win Over Dolphins

New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry was ruled out of the team’s 24-19 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday after suffering a foot injury. The injury occurred during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Henry visited the sideline medical tent briefly before walking to the locker room. He returned to the sideline twice, once late in the second quarter and again at the start of the third, but did not play another snap. The team confirmed he would not return midway through the fourth quarter.

Henry’s absence further depleted an already thin offensive roster. Wide receivers A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, and Mack Hollins missed the game with injuries. Running back TreVeyon Henderson and starting offensive linemen Mike Onwenu and Alijah Vera-Tucker were also sidelined. With Henry gone, quarterback Drake Maye had seven players available to receive passes: DeMario Douglas, Efton Chism III, Kyle Williams, Ryan Miller, Eli Raridon, Tanner Arkin, and Cameron Latu. Only Douglas had more than 20 career receptions entering the game.

Henry led the Patriots in catches with 26, receiving yards with 296, and catch rate at 83.9 percent before the game. He is the team’s second-longest-tenured player behind Onwenu. In the first half against Miami, Henry caught three targets for 30 yards. Those yards represented more than half of Maye’s total passing output before halftime. Maye completed four of seven passes for 23 yards to other players before the break.

After Henry’s exit, Maye connected with Kyle Williams and DeMario Douglas on two touchdown passes to help secure the win. Maye noted that Henry was in good spirits after the game. The quarterback said he saw Henry get up from a catch and felt worried about him. Maye added that Henry was walking around fine and smiling in the locker room.

Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel praised the players who stepped into Henry’s role. Vrabel acknowledged the difficulty of losing a leader and a player who makes plays in close games. He credited the offensive staff for moving personnel around effectively. Vrabel described the contest as a tough road game within the division.

Rookie Eli Raridon, who is expected to play a larger role, caught one of four targets for five yards. He also dropped a pass in the fourth quarter. Blocking specialists Tanner Arkin and Cameron Latu were not targeted by Maye during the game.