A Chestnut Hill product has touched down in Foxborough ahead of training camp. The New England Patriots signed former Boston College tight end Jeremiah Franklin following a workout on Thursday, according to a report from CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz . Unselected in the 2026 NFL draft, Franklin previously attended rookie minicamp at Gillette Stadium on a tryout basis in May. His circling back comes a day after the reigning AFC champions worked out six free agents, signing tight end Mitch Van Vooren and linebacker Riley Wilson while waiving fullback Brock Lampe. A corresponding move will follow to make room on a summer roster that currently stands north of 91 active players. Franklin started all 12 games as a senior in the ACC on the way to catching 49 passes for 506 yards and two touchdowns. The 6-foot-3, 244-pound UDFA appeared in 44 games during his Eagles career, including 30 starts, finishing with 93 receptions for 1,010 yards and six touchdowns altogether. New England ’s tight end depth chart lost veteran addition Julian Hill to season-ending injured reserve in June. Rising sophomore C.J. Dippre has since been placed on physically unable to perform to begin training camp. The position also includes captain Hunter Henry , rookies Eli Raridon and Tanner Arkin, as well as previous starting fullback Jack Westover . The first practice of Patriots training camp is set for 10:15 a.m. ET on Saturday
The New England Patriots are bringing in free agent tight end Thomas Odukoya for a workout as training camp approaches. Odukoya, who spent time on the Patriots' practice squad last season before suffering a broken leg, is now healthy and looking to rejoin the team. The Patriots have depth concerns at tight end due to injuries and other players on the PUP list
Jordy McElroy of Patriots Wire writes that the New England Patriots are "desperately clinging to hope" that rookie third-round tight end Eli Raridon "can contribute right out of the gate" in 2026. If Raridon doesn't look like he can handle TE2 duties behind starter Hunter Henry in training camp this summer, it "wouldn't be a surprise" to see the Patriots bring in a veteran at the position to boost the competition. As of right now, McElroy lists Raridon as the No. 2 TE behind Henry, with Tanner Arkin, Jack Westover, and CJ Dippre behind him. Raridon, 22, is a versatile option at the position with the ability to be a solid receiver and blocker. He has a clear path to rookie-year snaps with Julian Hill (knee) going on season-ending Injured Reserve and with Austin Hooper leaving in free agency to sign with the Atlanta Falcons. The 6-foot-6, 245-pounder needs to improve his blocking, but if he can do that, he could have a meaningful role in 2026. And if Henry were to go down with an injury, Raridon would gain lots of steam off the waiver wire in all fantasy football leagues
Following the season-ending injury suffered by tight end Julian Hill , the Patriots have an opening on their eventual 53-man roster at the position. While head coach Mike Vrabel noted this spring the team will likely make an addition, options remain on the current roster behind Hunter Henry . Among them is undrafted free agent Tanner Arkin. “I think my mindset right now is to do everything I can, really,” Arkin said last Friday at Newton North High School following the team’s rookie football clinic. “I mean, I’m an undrafted rookie. I’ve been given a great opportunity, and I really just need to maximize it and show the team and the organization what I’m about. That’s my plan going forward.” Arkin profiles as a potential replacement for Hill due to his physicality and blocking ability. While he did not get to showcase that aspect of his game in non-padded spring practices, the Illinois product believes his skillset fits well in Josh McDaniels’ offense. “I do, definitely,” Arkin said. “I think we use a lot of different personnel [groupings] — fullback, multiple tight end sets — and just the history of Coach McDaniels and how he’s used the tight end position. I think it’s a great fit, and I love playing for him and for the team. It’s been great so far.” After conversations with New England , Arkin identified the Patriots as a strong landing spot after going undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft. He joins a depth chart that features Henry, third-round pick Eli Raridon, and fellow depth options Jack Westover and C.J. Dippre. With training camp approaching, Arkin will have a legitimate opportunity to carve out a role in a room searching for answers behind Henry and next to Raridon. As he learns the offense and adjusts to life in the NFL, the rookie has leaned on the veteran leadership around him. “I think coming off of last year, there’s a lot of momentum and a lot of camaraderie on the offense,” he said. “Although there’s a lot of new faces, everybody seems really tight and everybody’s welcoming. There’s a bunch of great leaders on the offense, starting with Drake [ Maye ] and down the room to Hunter and the tight end room. “There’s just a lot of guys that have played a lot of football, and it seems like they know what’s going on. They lead by example, they set the tempo on the field, and as a rookie, I’m just trying to learn from them.”
The Patriots are looking to add veteran depth at tight end following the season-ending loss of Julian Hill. Hunter Henry is entering the final year of his contract, and rookie Eli Raridon is an unknown quantity. Potential free-agent targets include Pharaoh Brown and Will Dissly, while Colby Parkinson and Tyler Higbee could be trade targets. The team also needs to consider developmental players like C.J. Dippre, Tanner Arkin, and Peter Manuma for roster spots
It’s been over a week since New England Patriots tight end Julian Hill was placed on season-ending injured reserve just months after signing a three-year deal with the Patriots to pair up with veteran Hunter Henry . Now, New England may need to address the tight end room as the offseason continues, adding another body to the mix. “I think just from a numbers standpoint in camp, I think that’s somewhere we’ll probably have to evaluate the numbers,” head coach Mike Vrabel said before Wednesday’s mandatory minicamp practice . “There’s 90 guys, 91 guys on every team. So, we’ll just have to take a look at that, but I would say that’s probably somewhere where we would have to address.” However, a thin group of free agents remains at the position, including former Patriots tight end Jonnu Smith and recovering veterans Taysom Hill and Zach Ertz . Otherwise, New England would be picking from an already poached undrafted free agent class. Currently, the Patriots have just five rostered tight ends : Henry, hybrid tight end and fullback Jack Westover, who primarily played in the backfield last season, rookie Eli Raridon, 2025 undrafted free agent CJ Dippre and undrafted free agent Tanner Arkin, from Illinois. New England spent a third-round pick in the NFL Draft this offseason to select Raridon. At Notre Dame, the 22-year-old has 48 career receptions for the Fighting Irish, with 32 coming his senior season. Raridon could take on a larger role quickly this offseason to help replace Hill’s role in 2026. “Willing, conscientious, wants to learn,” Vrabel said of Raridon’s progress. “I think there’s a lot of new things that come in from college, and terminology is different, and there’s a lot of things that are new to him, but I would say that he picks things up quickly. When he’s able to play with the speed that he has available to him, that’s kind of shown up.” “With a lot of these young guys, just the terminology, the routes, the coverage, just try to eliminate [the thinking] and allow them to play as fast as possible. In the spring, it’s like, ‘Hey, let’s try to play out of control. Let’s play too fast.’ If you make a mistake, that’s fine, but we’ve got to start training that play speed.” Raridon largely spent his first two years at Notre Dame on the sidelines, nursing two right knee injuries, and had previously torn the same ACL twice. Still, he’s an intriguing prospect for the Patriots due to his ability to be a consistent pass-catcher for quarterback Drake Maye and be a vertical threat. “Eli’s doing a good job,” Hunter Henry said on Tuesday. “I know it’s a lot coming in the league, trying to blend in with older guys, younger guys. The pressure of it, obviously getting drafted. A lot of us have been through it, and I’ve been through it myself. He’s been a sponge, trying to soak up as much as he can in the room, asking questions. He’s getting better day by day, and I’m excited to continue to work with him.” Henry also mentioned Arkin as a young player who’s trying to learn and make the most of his opportunities. “Tanner’s been great,” Henry said. “When he gets his opportunities, he’s taking advantage of it. That’s all you can ask for as a young guy. He’s continued to get better. It’s the same thing: as a rookie, as a young guy, you kind of have to be a sponge, trying to soak up as much as you can, trying to ask questions when you can. But just try to watch and follow and learn as much as you can from just us in the room, [and] some of the other positions.”
Throughout their history, the New England Patriots have rostered some top-tier tight ends. Newly-voted Patriots Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski , arguably the best tight ends in NFL history, tops a list that also includes the likes of Ben Coates and Russ Francis. Hunter Henry might not have reached those same echelons yet, but he is very well on his way. Entering his sixth season as a Patriot, he very much has cemented his spot among the franchise’s top ever players at the position. That is true both for his on-field contributions and his leadership off the field, something one of the Patriots’ 2026 offseason additions can attest to. “I’ve got a hell of a vet in that room. Hunter Henry is a hell of a guy,” said free agency signing Julian Hill about his new teammate. “I’ve been working with him. He’s been helping me so much in the pass game.” One of three additions to the Patriots’ tight end room this spring alongside rookies Eli Raridon and Tanner Arkin, Hill arrived on a three-year contract in March. The details of that deal show that he very much is locked into a roster spot this year, presumably to serve as a blocking-first option at the position. The former Miami Dolphins UDFA does bring the experience of 46 NFL games to New England . But even though he is heading into his fourth season in the league, he knows that job security is not a given in his profession. That is exactly what makes Henry’s career — he entered the league as a second-round draft choice in 2016 — so impressive in Hill’s eyes. “He’s going on Year 11? I mean, how many guys can say that and produce as he’s produced?” Hill asked. “How he moves at his age, his mindset of the game, his approach to the game, you can’t make that up. I have a lot of respect for guys who have been in the business for a long time, because as y’all know, this is a short-lived business. That’s what makes him a hell of a vet.”
The Patriots have signed five of their 2026 draft picks: CB Karon Prunty, OT Dametrious Crownover, LB Namdi Obiazor, QB Behren Morton, and RB Jam Miller. Four picks, including first-round OT Caleb Lomu, remain unsigned
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