Hunter Henry injured a shoulder in the Aug. 8 practice. He missed the entire preseason.
The tight end, though, expects to play Sunday in his Patriots debut.
“I wouldn’t say doubt,” Henry replied when asked if he has any doubt he’ll be in uniform on Sunday, via Zack Cox of NESN.
Henry later said he is “excited to go out there and compete with [Mac Jones] this weekend.”
Henry and Jonnu Smith, another free agent addition, have yet to share the field together in a game setting. The Patriots finally will get to see what high-priced tight ends can do for their offense.
“I think both of them have worked extremely hard,” Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said. “I feel very confident in both players’ aptitude and understanding of our system and our operation and what we do offensively and what their roles are in it. That’s because they’re very diligent about the work they put in. They prepare very well. So I’m very confident in that.. . . I have no doubts about those two players in terms of their ability to go out there and perform. They’ll both be ready to go.”
Henry, 26, totaled 115 receptions for 1,265 yards and nine touchdowns over his final two seasons with the Chargers.