Kelley: Explaining How the Patriots Offensive Line Got to This Point

There was no need to have a New England Patriots mailbag this week. Nearly all of the questions I’ve received over the past few days have been some form of the same inquiry. People want to know how the New England Patriots offensive line got to this point. Anyone who paid even a little attention to the Patriots during training camp and preseason games knows this is not being asked admiringly. The question is being asked with disgust and disbelief.

So I’m dedicating this week’s mailbag to that one question. It is important to note that no single decision got the Patriots offensive line to where they are. And where they are is a situation where getting called for penalties and allowing quarterback pressures became the norm in Sunday’s preseason finale. More discouragingly, they were facing the reserve unit of a Washington Commanders team projected to have one of the NFL’s worst defenses in 2024.

Also Read – Dan Kelley’s New England Patriots 2024 NFL Draft Report Card

So while no single decision can explain everything, a few of the key choices that put the Patriots offensive line in the situation they are currently in:

Blame Belichick

Others will bring up Bill Belichick, so it is fair to point out the condition he left the offensive line in. When the 2018 New England Patriots won the Super Bowl they had an offensive line that featured four starters age 26 or under. And that did not include first-round pick Isaiah Wynn, who sat out the season injured.

Left tackle Trent Brown departed in free agency after the season, to be replaced by Wynn. Eventually, Brown came back to New England in 2021 and played right tackle. In 2022, Brown and Wynn switched sides. Wynn was gone after that season, not signed to a second contract with the Patriots. Brown left for a second time after last season, unhappy with his contract status and showing minimal effort in the second half of the season.

Left guard Joe Thuney left in free agency after the 2020 season. Last year he won the Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs and was named first-team All-Pro. Right guard Shaq Mason was traded to Tampa Bay after the 2021 season for a fifth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He now starts for the Houston Texans. Center David Andrews is the lone member of the unit remaining in New England.

In Belichick’s final three drafts with the Patriots, he used selections on Cole Strange (Round 1, 2022), Jake Andrews (Round 4, 2022), Sidy Sow (Round 4, 2022), Atonio Mafi (Round 5, 2022), William Sherman (Round 6, 2021), Chasen Hines (Round 6, 2022), and Andrew Steuber (Round 7, 2022). None of them may be on the New England Patriots 53-man roster to start the season.

Returning Line From 2023

The Patriots returned 60% of their starting interior offensive line that finished the 2023 season. Center David Andrews remained with the team. Sidy Sow had started 13 games at right guard last season and was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team. Atonio Mafi took over at left guard following Cole Strange’s season-ending injury but struggled at times. Mafi appeared to be a returning roster player, even if not necessarily a starter.

Strange’s injury status was unknown to the general public, but as the offseason progressed, it became clear he would not be ready for the start of the season, at a minimum.

Also under contract were Calvin Anderson, Jake Andrews, Vederian Lowe, Conor McDermott, Andrew Steuber, and Tyrone Wheatley Jr. That group offered some potential depth. It did not seem to offer two or three starters, which the unit still needed. McDermott and Steuber were waived before training camp began. Wheatley Jr. was also waived, though was brought back with an injury designation.

2024 Free Agency

New England entered the 2024 offseason ready to “burn some cash,” according to Jerod Mayo. Between free agency and the NFL Draft, prioritizing the tackle position was crucial. The Patriots signed two free agents before the official free agency period began. First, they signed guard Michael Jordan, who had been released by the Packers’ practice squad. They added tackle Chukwuma Okorafor, who was released by the Steelers as well. Okorafor started 61 games for Pittsburgh, all at right tackle.

Mike Onwenu’s return to New England in free agency was a priority for Eliot Wolf and the team’s new leadership. He finished the 2023 season at right tackle, where some believed he belonged all year. The Patriots had their right tackle role locked down for the foreseeable future, or so it seemed.

The Patriots signed guard Nick Leverett during the first wave of free agency as well. They added guard Liam Fornadel in June, and tackle Kellen Diesch after training camp had begun.

The most money the New England Patriots spent on any of the outside free agents on the offensive line was Okorafor’s deal. It pays him $4 million for one year, with $3.25 million guaranteed.

Declining to Prioritize Trenches in the Draft

Before the 2024 NFL Draft, it was repeated here ad nauseam what appeared to be the best way for the Patriots to approach the draft:

Round 1 – Quarterback. The chance to select a potential franchise QB will not always be there.

Round 2 – Offensive Tackle. Good OT depth was enough for New England to take a Day 1 starter with their Round 2 pick (No. 34 overall). Those options would likely be gone by Round 3.

Round 3 – Wide Receiver. A deep position that would have quality options available in Round 3 and beyond.

New England took QB Drake Maye in Round 1 but opted to take a wide receiver (Ja’Lynn Polk) in Round 2, after trading down slightly. By New England’s Round 3 selection, 13 offensive tackles were off the board. When they drafted Polk, only eight had been taken. The only offensive tackle I had a Day 2 grade on remaining by their third pick was Yale’s Kiran Amegadjie. The Patriots took Caedan Wallace at No. 68, who exclusively played right tackle at Penn State. Amegadjie went No. 75 to Chicago.

The Patriots could have selected Kingsley Suamatia in Round 2, the highest-ranked tackle remaining on my board (followed by Patrick Paul). He was a Round 1 talent from this perspective. If they waited until Round 3 to take a wide receiver, there was talent available. This included Troy Franklin, Roman Wilson, and Jermaine Burton. Ja’Lynn Polk might have been available too. If not, another receiver could slide from a team that took him (Adonai Mitchell, Malachi Corley).

New England added guard Layden Robinson in Round 4.

Projected Starting Lineup Post-Draft

Left Tackle – New England had a group of right tackles, but somebody would have to play on the left side opposite Onwenu. Okorafor, Wallace, Anderson, and Lowe could battle for the starting left tackle spot throughout OTAs, mandatory minicamp, and training camp. Veteran NFL left tackles remained available via free agency if none of those four appeared capable of locking down the job.

Left Guard – With Strange out, this looked like a battle between Mafi, Leverett, Jordan, and Robinson. Jake Andrews, the backup center, was an option at guard as well, though he did not participate in offseason activities with an undisclosed injury.

Center – David Andrews

Right Guard – Sidy Sow

Right Tackle – Mike Onwenu

Training Camp Confusion

Since things have switched so frequently during camp, it is easier to take a look position-by-position:

Left Tackle

Chukwuma Okorafor began training camp on the left side, which was not a surprise. However, he was quickly moved over to the right side before the Patriots had even played their first preseason game. Caedan Wallace replaced Okorafor before being replaced himself by Vederian Lowe. For the first two preseason games, Lowe started at left tackle and looked decent despite some noticeable errors.

Vederian Lowe left the practice field last Wednesday, holding his lower back/side area. He did not play in the final preseason game, and his injury status remains unclear. Wallace filled in for the rest of practice and looked solid. But on Thursday, Okorafor was switched back to the left side and started there in Sunday’s preseason finale. He was called for three penalties for lining up incorrectly. Those flags likely led to several of the messages that prompted this article.

If the New England Patriots had followed my draft advice, Kingsley Suamataia would be holding down this spot. If they followed my advice in free agency, they’d have added a capable veteran with left tackle experience, such as Charles Leno Jr. Instead, the Patriots are crossing their fingers that either Vederian Lowe returns quickly (and plays well) or one of their right tackles figures out how to play on the left side.

Left Guard

Sidy Sow was moved from the right side, where he was comfortable and productive in 2023, to the left. He maintained his starting position throughout camp but did split time with Layden Robinson as camp progressed, and the rookie impressed. Both players were playing right guard a year ago, either in the NFL or NCAA. Now, they competed to be New England’s starting left guard.

Sow injured his ankle during the second quarter of Sunday’s game against Washington and did not return. He was replaced by Michael Jordan.

Center

David Andrews remains the starting center for New England, but the team has struggled to find a backup. Jake Andrews never joined the team on the field. The Patriots placed him on season-ending injured reserve. The only other player in camp with significant experience playing center was undrafted rookie free agent Charles Turner III. Instead of giving the UDFA a longer look, or bringing in a veteran with center experience, the team opted to try out a series of guards to play center.

Nick Leverett, Atonio Mafi, and Liam Fornadel all saw time at center during camp and/or preseason games. All three struggled snapping the football. Having Leverett and Mafi focus on battling Robinson and Jordan for playing time at guard, opposite Sow, seemed more logical. Once Jake Andrews was officially gone, bringing in a veteran center to compete with Turner for the backup center job makes sense. New England opted not to do this.

Right Guard

When the New England Patriots gave Mike Onwenu a monster three-year deal this offseason, it appeared they had their right tackle locked in for a while. However, the Patriots chose to play Onwenu at right guard throughout training camp. However, once Vederian Lowe got injured, Okorafor moved to left tackle and Onwenu shifted to right tackle, where many (including this scribe) believed he belonged all along.

Onwenu’s move to tackle put Layden Robinson in the starting lineup at right guard. He committed two penalties on Sunday but previously looked good throughout camp. But Robinson is a rookie who was asked to learn both guard spots, appeared to be pushing Sow for the starting left guard position, and is suddenly starting on the right side. Mafi played with the second unit here on Sunday.

Right Tackle

Calvin Anderson began camp as the right tackle on the first unit. Okorafor moved over, staying at right tackle until Lowe’s injury. When Okorafor moved to left tackle, Onwenu moved over to right tackle, where he was rarely seen before last week this offseason, even though everyone (including the head coach) seemed to believe he was locked in at right tackle when he returned to New England.

Coaching Concerns

The turnover of coaches in recent years has taken it’s toll on the offensive line. Teams makes draft picks with the offensive coordinator’s system and offensive line coach’s scheme in mind. The revolving door in recent years has made that difficult to develop cohesion in New England.

2019 – Josh McDaniels (OC) and Dante Scarneccia (OL)
2020 – McDaniels (OC) and Carmen Bricillo and Cole Popovich (Co-OL)
2021 – McDaniels (OC) and Bricillo (OL)
2022 – Matt Patricia (de facto OC and de facto OL)
2023 – Bill O’Brien (OC) and Adrian Klemm (OL)*
2024 – Alex Van Pelt (OC) and Scott Peters (OL)

• Klemm left the team for health-related reasons early last season and was replaced by assistant offensive line coach Billy Yates, with help from offensive lineman James Ferentz.

In addition to the turnover on the staff, the current staff (including head coach Jerod Mayo) has failed to allow the unit time to gel during training camp. When one player (Vederian Lowe) went down, it caused three changes to the starting unit. That is not ideal, especially with a new coordinator, new offensive line coach, and only David Andrews returning from their main position in 2023. Some of the blame for the plethora of penalties has to fall on the coaching staff as well. Lining up incorrectly should never happen in an NFL game. It happened to the Patriots’ offensive tackles four times in the first half on Sunday.

Furthermore, the desire to have versatile offensive linemen is great in many regards. But in this case, it has led to many players who appear to be a jack of all trades, but master of none.

Front Office Concerns

Eliot Wolf did a nice job retaining Mike Onwenu’s services in free agency. Onwenu fills a crucial role as a productive right tackle. But Wolf’s primary free agent signing (Chukwuma Okorafor) and draft pick (Caedan Wallace) among offensive linemen play right tackle also. That could have easily been avoided by prioritizing somebody with left tackle experience in either free agency or the draft. With all due respect to Vederian Lowe, a player who began training camp third on the depth chart at left tackle should not be a crippling loss.

Wolf signed nobody with center experience, aside from undrafted rookie free agent Charles Turner III, who was released on Monday. David Andrews is suddenly the player the New England Patriots can least afford to lose.

Conclusion

People love posts that summarize an issue in 140 characters. Explaining how the New England Patriots offensive line “got to this point” took about 2,500 words.

Bill Belichick is not blameless. He made some questionable draft picks along the way. He did not prioritize retaining productive players. They got back a fifth-round pick for Joe Thuney and Shaq Mason combined. The turnover on the coaching staff was less than ideal for player development either. Some of that was out of Belichick’s control, but not all of it.

That said, the Patriots were in a position this year to make serious improvements to the offensive line. They had money to spend in free agency and solid capital in the NFL Draft.

Eliot Wolf chose not to draft Kingsley Suamataia or sign Charles Leno Jr. He could have done both. Instead, the team entered training camp with two right tackles (Okorafor and Wallace) trying to play on the left side. A third option (Lowe) received a 41.7 grade from Pro Football Focus for his 2023 performance. Anything below 60.0 is considered replaceable by a non-roster player. Wolf neglected the center position as well, aside from of an undrafted rookie free agent who failed to make the 53-man roster. And the coaching staff chose to play musical chairs with those in camp, prioritizing versatility over comfort and building a rapport.

And now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, the next question is, how will the New England Patriots solve this problem? Stay tuned.