Vederian Lowe Practices With Patriots First Unit at Left Tackle

Vederian Lowe earned the starting left tackle position for the New England Patriots in training camp. But Lowe injured his abdomen in practice leading up to their preseason finale. Chukwuma Okorafor, who had been playing right tackle with the starters, moved to the left side. Mike Onwenu slid from right guard to right tackle, taking Okorafor’s place. Rookie Layden Robinson got inserted into the starting unit at right guard.

Leading up to New England’s Week 1 game in Cincinnati, Lowe started practicing again but was a limited participant. The Patriots listed him as questionable for the game. Lowe did get activated for the game but the starting tackles remained the same.

Also Read – Dan Kelley: Explaining How the Patriots Offensive Line Got to This Point

After only 12 offensive snaps, Jerod Mayo made a switch. Lowe replaced Okorafor at left tackle for the remainder of the game. Okorafor was in for six running plays and six passing plays. His rush-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus was decent, 69.9. Okorafor received a 0.0 for his pass-blocking, however. He allowed three quarterback pressures on just six plays. With QB Jacoby Brissett needing time to breathe in the pocket, Mayo gave Lowe a chance.

Vederian Lowe played 52 offensive snaps against the Bengals. He allowed three quarterback pressures, spread out over 23 passing plays. Lowe did not fare as well with his run-blocking grade, however. He received a 52.4 overall for the afternoon. Of the 72 NFL offensive tackles to play at least 10 snaps in Week 1, Lowe ranked No. 61, just ahead of Okorafor (No. 66). Rookie Caedan Wallace earned a 64.2 for New England, though he was being used as a tackle-eligible jumbo tight end.

Starting Offensive Line on Wednesday

Based on Wednesday’s portion of practice open to the media, it appears Jerod Mayo will start Week 2 with the same group along the offensive line that finished the opener. Vederian Lowe was in at left tackle. Michael Jordan remained at left guard. Starter Sidy Sow injured his ankle in the last preseason game and has not practiced since. He was inactive against the Bengals. The Patriots cut Michael Jordan after he originally made the 53-man roster, but he was brought back to the practice squad. Despite his practice squad status, he seems to have overtaken other options, such as Nick Leverett and Zach Thomas, in Sow’s absence.

The rest of the group saw David Andrews at center, Layden Robinson at right guard, and Mike Onwenu at right tackle.

The first game of the season was not great for Lowe. But there has to be some leeway, given his injury status and lack of practice reps leading up to it. If the New England Patriots have to choose between somebody who struggled in run-blocking or someone who needs improvement in pass protection, opting for the player who is more likely to keep the quarterback upright makes sense.

It appears Vederian Lowe, getting healthier and with a week of practice under his belt, will start against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. He has a chance to prove why the coaching staff developed so much confidence in him during training camp as he embraces the philosophies of new offensive line coach Scott Peters. And if it looks like Lowe starts to struggle too much, Jerod Mayo has already shown he’s not afraid to use a quick hook.