Chargers TE Hunter Henry 'ready' to fill Gates' shoes Published: May 01, 2018 at 03:01 AM Around the NFL Writer With the saying goodbye to future tight end , the team is officially pa sing the torch to . The third-year tight end understands Deshazor Everett Jersey he's under pre sure to fill big shoes. "When I came in, it can be an intimidating thing when you come into that situation -- a Hall of Famer, first ballot, and one of the greatest tight ends of Jonathan Williams Jersey all time . "It's been incredible. He's still a great friend of mine. I talk to him. I was with him a couple of weekends ago. It's been really cool to be able to play with him these past two years. "But definitely, I'm ready to step up. ... I'm ready to go." The transition from Gates to Henry has been in the making since the used a second-round pick in 2016 on the Arkansas product. Last season when L.A. upped Henry's playing time over Gates, the ' offense found an extra gear. Henry played in 14 games in 2017, 13 as a starter. Tilts in which he played 41 or more snaps, the went 7-1 and averaged 26.6 points per game. In games in which he played 40 or fewer snaps, L.A. went 0-6 and averaged 16.3 points -- including an 0-4 Doug Williams Jersey start to the season. The promising tight end's ability to separate from linebacker and beat up defensive backs over the middle of the field brings a dimension to the ' offense that became lacking as Gates lost footspeed. Henry's Antonio Gibson Jersey 2017 campaign ended early with a lacerated kidney. The 23-year-old said he's now healthy, running during the team's workouts, and ready for his increased workload. "That kind of injury is really tough. It's a freak injury. I felt like I took care of myself really well last year, and to have something like that happen, where I have to mi s games for something I can't control, it's really hard to take," Henry said. "It's something where I can't push my rehab to try and get back on the field and something I can't play through because I kind of look at myself like, if it's an injury, I feel like I can play through it. I just kind of have that tough Kyle Allen Jersey factor about me. But with something internal, it's hard. You can't play around with that." With Gates' run over, it's now Henry's turn to try to become the next great tight end in franchise history. This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i sue.
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