Chargers are wise to give Hunter Henry franchise tag

Hunter Henry appears set for the franchise tag in a decision that may come as a surprise given his injury history. However, for a Los Angeles Chargers team that will need to put a support system around a new starting quarterback, securing control of the tight end’s future is an astute decision.

Henry is set to become a free agent and has not played a full season in his four years in the NFL. He missed the entire 2018 regular season after tearing his ACL during OTAs, and a tibia plateau fracture in his left knee saw Henry sidelined for four games in 2019.

Despite his apparent lack of durability, the Chargers are likely to place the tag on Henry, according to Jenna Laine of ESPN.

Henry’s consistently strong production is almost certain to have been a motivating factor behind that decision. He caught 55 of his 76 targets for 652 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2019 and has 17 scores in his pro career.

His influence on the Chargers’ offense is reflected in his Pro Football Network Offensive Share Metric (OSM) grades.

OSM PERFORMANCE

OSM measures a player’s contribution to his offense’s production by using the NFL’s NextGen Stats and a series of algorithms by assessing the factors only he could control.

Henry earned a grade of 34.76 for the 2019 season, indicating a ‘very good’ level of performance. His score was only good enough for him to end the year ranked 18th among 32 qualifying tight ends. However, he was the highest-ranked qualifying skill-position player on the Chargers.

Additionally, Henry received grades of 38.24 and 37.16 in Week 6 and Week 1, the highest scores by any Charger not named Keenan Allen.

THE FILM

When healthy, Henry’s combination of his 6’5″ and 250-pound frame and his athleticism makes him extremely difficult to defend. He came into the NFL, having refined his blocking during his collegiate career at Arkansas, and he used his ability to control defenders to his advantage in the receiving game in the season-opening win over the Indianapolis Colts.

On a third down in the third quarter, Henry makes a 13-yard reception from Philip Rivers having gained separation by faking as if he was going to seal off Quincy Wilson before breaking back across the middle.

An underrated downfield weapon, Henry boasted impressive acceleration for a player of his size and accessed a second gear to beat Bobby Okereke on a deep crosser for a 22-yarder in the fourth quarter against the Colts.

His athleticism translates excellently to the catch point, an area where he excelled in the Week 6 loss to the Steelers. Henry caught eight of his nine targets for 100 yards and two touchdowns.

He had such success catching the ball while having to adjust to some inaccurate throws from Rivers, including this 18-yard connection late in the third quarter. Rivers’ pass is low and off-target, but Henry does an excellent job of working back to the ball and diving to make the grab while avoiding the hit from the onrushing Joe Haden.

It was Henry’s ability to elevate and get both feet down in bounds that enabled him to score the Chargers’ first touchdown. Henry leaped to bring in a high throw to the back of the endzone from Rivers and avoided a force out by Artie Burns by dragging his right foot, demonstrating superb concentration in the process.

CONSISTENT PRODUCTION

Henry’s 2019 was no outlier. Since entering the league, he has been consistent in having a considerable impact on the Chargers’ offensive production.

In 2016 he earned an OSM grade of 35.39, ranking 11th of 34 qualifying tight ends. He ended 2017 ranked third of 31 qualifiers at his position with a score of 37.51.

Even with the concerns about his previous injuries, Henry would likely command significant interest were he to enter free agency.

The Chargers are set to go into the new league year with $49million in cap space, according to Over The Cap. Henry would be poised to receive $11m for one season were he to be franchise tagged.

That is a substantial but not exorbitant amount for a tight end with the skill set to serve as a high-upside safety net for the Chargers’ new quarterback, whether that is a rookie or Tom Brady, whose name has been continually linked with Los Angeles.

Henry is a reliable target who excels on downfield routes and inside the red zone. Tagging him may raise some eyebrows, but it would buy the Chargers more negotiating time and give them the flexibility of being able to trade him for much-needed draft capital.

The Chargers have correctly realized that Henry is much too valuable to lose for just a compensatory draft pick. As they desperately look for ways to pack their new stadium in 2020, it is worth making every effort to keep around a player who has consistently proven he can fill up the box score.