The Chargers have officially activated tight end Hunter Henry to the 53-man roster. He’ll eligible to play on Sunday against the Patriots, just eight months after tearing his ACL. To make room for Henry on the active roster, the team placed linebacker Jatavis Brown, who went down with an ankle injury in the team’s Week 17 win over the Broncos, on injured reserve. 
Monday was the deadline for Los Angeles to activate Henry thanks to the 21-day window that opened when he resumed practicing. If he was not activated, the third-year tight end would have been forced to spend rest of the season on the PUP list. The good news is that Henry was not held out of Saturday’s game against the Ravens due to any setback. Instead, the Chargers simply decided to play it safe with one of their star offensive players.
Assuming he’s fully healthy, or somewhat close to it, the Chargers are expected to get Henry involved in the passing game. The Bolts could exploit the Patriots’ weak coverage across the middle of the field and give their D something extra to think about in addition to their other aerial weapons and Melvin Gordon‘s slick running.
After hauling in 81 catches for 1,057 yards and 12 touchdowns through the first two seasons of his career, Henry was primed for a breakout campaign in 2018. His offseason injury robbed him of a chance to truly shine in the regular season, but he’ll now have an opportunity to contribute when it really counts.