LA Chargers’ first-time Pro Bowl candidate #3: Hunter Henry
Hunter Henry is one of the best pass-catching tight ends in the NFL and that is why he was expected to get a decent contract if he would have hit the free-agent market this offseason. The Chargers instead franchise tagged him and Henry is right in the sweet spot of his career where his prime is really going to begin.
And in a contract year, we could see the best Henry that we have seen in his four-year NFL career thus far. One of the biggest contingencies of whether or not he puts together a Pro Bowl resume, though, is if he can stay healthy and on the field for at least 14 games.
If he does that then he has a fairly good shot. The reason he is ranked number three on this list, though, is because of the change at quarterback. The targets for every pass-catcher is naturally going to go down as the team transitions from a gunslinger to a more mobile quarterback.
This could either really help or really hurt Henry. It could really help him as he could become a reliable short-yardage target with the Chargers not airing it out as much. He also is a great red zone threat for Tyrod Taylor to throw it to.
Or it could hurt Henry but him naturally not seeing as many targets and thus seeing his overall numbers dip as a result. With some players, we can pinpoint whether or not they are going to regress without Philip Rivers under center. Henry is perhaps the biggest wild-card that could go either way.