New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel delivered somber news on Tuesday during his press conference, confirming some fears following the news of tight end Julian Hill being placed on injured reserve on Tuesday.
With just Hunter Henry and rookie Eli Raridon joining Hill at the top of the depth chart, the Patriots don’t have much depth at that position. As a result, the hope following the initial report was that Hill might potentially be available to return at some point in 2026.
According to Vrabel, that’s apparently not going to happen.
“Julian won’t be able to play the season,” said Vrabel. “That’s plain and simple. So – devastating. Awful. I really enjoyed the person and want to have him around here as much as we possibly can, but just because he wouldn’t be able to play this season.”
Vrabel added that Hill has already made an impact in the locker room, with the veteran having apparently made an impression with his teammates and seemed to be on a positive track prior to his injury.
“Just disappointing because of just the impact that he made in a short amount of time with his teammates, and then just the person that he is, the way that he practiced,” said Vrabel. “And, so again, we want Julian to be a part of us as much as possible. He’s just not going to do that on the field this year.”
Vrabel didn’t confirm what, in fact, the injury was, but it’s clearly severe enough that Hill will be forced to sit out this season.
He did confirm it was something that happened in practice, but didn’t offer any clarity beyond that.
The veteran tight end signed with the Patriots back in March after agreeing to terms on a 3-year, $15 million contract. He’s set to turn 26 next month on July 9th.
New England currently has just C.J. Dippre and Tanner Arkin as the remaining tight ends behind Henry and Raridon, which will be something to keep an eye in the coming weeks.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
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