Who Should I Start? Austin Hooper or Erick All Jr.

Sunday, March 9, 8:57 PM

The New England Patriots are re-signing veteran tight end Austin Hooper to a one-year, $5 million deal with a max value of $7 million. Hooper, a two-time Pro Bowler, notched 45 receptions and 476 yards with New England a season ago, his highest marks since his 2021 stint with the Cleveland Browns. While he began the 2024 season cold, the 30-year-old picked it up over the back half -- racking up four catches in five of his last seven appearances as then-rookie signal-caller Drake Maye got acclimated to the NFL. The Stanford product played second fiddle to fellow tight end Hunter Henry last season and figures to do so again if his teammate stays healthy, as the latter out-paced the former handily in snaps (835-575) despite playing in one fewer contest. It's possible Hooper returns some TE2 value this upcoming season, but he's better off left to waivers until he proves otherwise.

Tuesday, January 28, 1:04 PM

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Erick All Jr. (knee), who tore his right ACL on Nov. 3 against the Las Vegas Raiders, is expected to miss all of the 2025 season due to complications from a previous knee surgery in college, according to team and league sources. All will need two surgeries to fix the issue. The 24-year-old fell to the fourth round of the 2024 draft because of medical concerns. In addition to his knee injury, he suffered a back injury in 2022 while at Michigan that led to "life-changing" spine surgery. All has now ended the last three years with an injury. His second knee surgery should set him up to hit the ground running in 2026, and the Bengals hope All can pick up where he left off in his rookie season when he caught 20 of 22 targets for 158 yards in nine games before tearing his ACL. All's biggest impact came in the running game as a blocker, though.