It’s been far from a perfect spring for the New England Patriots, from Christian Gonzalez’s uncomfortable contract situation to rookie second-round pick Gabe Jacas’ awkward absence.
The season-ending injury to veteran tight end Julian Hill might’ve been the situation that rocked the team the most, though.
After a 2025 season that saw the protection around quarterback Drake Maye crumble and the running game struggle to do much of anything consistently, especially in short yardage, head coach Mike Vrabel and company made a flurry of moves to address the core issue. Along with multiple changes up front to the offensive line, the Patriots spent in free agency on a proven fullback in Reggie Gilliam. They also added Hill on a somewhat surprising three-year, $15 million deal. He was expected to handle the bulk of the Patriots’ in-line work this season as their No. 2 tight end alongside Hunter Henry.
With Vrabel ruling Hill out for 2026, the Patriots are down to promising third-round rookie Eli Raridon, second-year pro Jack Westover, and a pair of relative unknowns in CJ Dippre and UDFA Tanner Arkin on the depth chart.
That group leaves much to be desired, especially when you consider that Westover saw the majority of his snaps as a fullback last season. An external move can’t be ruled out, but Karen Guregian of MassLive recently profiled Arkin as a name for fans to watch in a tight end competition nobody expected but should be paying attention to this summer.
"Given the loss of Hill, Arkin just might have the best chance of any of the UDFA signees to make the team as a depth tight end behind Henry and Raridon,” Guregian wrote. “The 6-foot-4, 262-pounder is mostly known for his blocking prowess, but has shown some ability to catch the football.”
Opportunity knocks for Patriots UDFA Tanner Arkin in battle for the No. 3 tight end role
Arkin’s size could play a real factor, as the Patriots clearly wanted to get younger, bigger, and more athletic behind Henry this offseason. Guregian also noted Arkin’s rookie contract — a three-year UDFA deal that included $272,500 in guarantees, per Spotrac.
The term of Arkin’s deal is notable, as he’s technically under team control through 2029, when he’ll become a restricted free agent. Nothing can be ruled out, of course, but he doesn’t appear to be a player the team plans to waive this summer.
Arkin may have said the quiet part out loud to reporters about his fit in Josh McDaniels’ offense.
“We use a lot of different personnel,” he told Guregian. “We use a fullback, multiple tight end sets, and just the history of coach McDaniels and how he’s used the tight end in the past, I think it’s a great fit. I love playing for him and for the team. It’s been great so far.”
The Patriots kept three tight ends — Henry, Austin Hooper, and Westover — on their initial 53-man roster last year. If they go with the same number again this summer, perhaps with an eye on keeping a seventh wide receiver given the current depth in that room, it wouldn’t be a stretch to see Henry and a pair of rookies in Raridon and Arkin make the initial cut for 2026.
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