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COSTA MESA, Calif. -- Hunter Henry said he owes a debt of gratitude to Antonio Gates. The veteran tight end assumed the role of mentor for Henry in his first two years in the NFL, teaching him the ins and outs of his position and the league. The Chargers said they will not bring back Gates, who has played his entire 15-year career with the club. Gates, 37, said at the end of last season he still wants to play. “[Gates has] been like a big brother to me,” said Henry, who should have even more impact on the the offense in 2018. “When I came in, it can be an intimidating thing when you come into that situation with a Hall of Famer. He’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer and one of the greatest tight ends of all time. “But he took me under his wing and taught me everything he could these past two years, and it’s been incredible. He’s still a great friend of mine. I still talk to him. I was with him a couple weekends ago. It’s been really cool to be able to play with him these last two years.”  Gates finished his career with the Chargers as the all-time franchise leader in receptions (927), receiving yards (11,508) and touchdowns (114). Henry says he’s up for the challenge. “I’m ready to step up. … I’m ready to go,” he said. Henry essentially took over as the Chargers’ main tight end last season, finishing with 45 catches for 579 receiving yards and four scores. And while he should get more touches, how many more is debatable. For the Chargers, the offense still runs through Melvin Gordon and Keenan Allen. “Hunter’s worked very hard to improve at this game,” Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt said. “He’s made a lot of plays for us. You see a young player that’s developing. I know his relationship with Antonio was important, but you’ve got a good young player that is growing in this league.” One thing Henry will have to do in 2018 is stay on the field. The Arkansas product has not played a full, 16-game season since he’s been in the NFL. Henry said he’s healthy and feeling good five months after suffering a lacerated kidney that forced him to miss the last two games of last season. Henry also missed a game his rookie season because of a knee injury. The numbers say Henry should get more touches: The Chargers were 7-1 in games Henry was targeted at least five times, and 0-6 in games he was not. “We really feel like this is Hunter Henry’s time,” Chargers general manager Tom Telesco said. “We need to get him even more involved than we did in the past.” Henry also should benefit from a new position coach in veteran offensive guru Rip Scherer. “It’s going to be good for us,” Henry said. “He’s very detail-oriented, so we’re going through the basics right off the bat, which is good for us. You kind of get into a routine, so to go back to the fundamentals, I think helps your game tremendously.” With Gates gone, one thing the 23-year-old Henry will be tasked with is becoming more of a vocal leader of his position group. The Chargers did sign eight-year veteran Virgil Green in free agency, but Henry has more experience in Whisenhunt’s offense. “That’s important, and I think he has that,” Whisenhunt said, when asked about Henry’s ability to lead. “He definitely has the respect because of how he’s played. It’s not always easy to step into that role of being maybe a little more vocal and talking to guys. But when you carry as much respect as a young player as Hunter does because he was productive, that’s a big part of that team concept and being part of that. So yeah, I’m looking forward to seeing him do some of that.”
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