As good as Drake Maye has been, it’s hard to evaluate just how good the rookie quarterback has been for the New England Patriots. Why? The team’s wide receivers and offensive line.
We’ve covered the wide receiver issues as a group and with a focus on second-round pick Ja’Lynn Polk. But since this Patriots season is mostly about kicking off the rebuild and finding out who they can build around, let’s look at the offensive line through that lens.
Yes, the unit has been bad. The Patriots O-line ranks 31st in the NFL in pressure rate allowed despite facing the ninth-fewest blitzes. It’s unlikely to get markedly better this season, so let’s explore a reasonable plan to make this unit better in 2025.
Who’s coming back?
It might sound like a lot, but the Patriots offensive line will need at least three new starters, maybe four. Mike Onwenu will be back, but it’s unclear at what position. He’s a better right guard than right tackle, but right tackles are harder to find, so that position remains a possibility for him.
Veteran center David Andrews has one year remaining on his deal and has expressed a desire to keep playing, but the Patriots will have to keep all options open as he rehabs from season-ending shoulder surgery.
New England hoped tackle Caedan Wallace would be ready to start by the end of this season, and while he still could be, it hasn’t been the ideal rookie season for the third-round pick who was benched and then suffered a multi-week injury that landed him on injured reserve.
Tackle Vederian Lowe has probably been the team’s second-best offensive lineman this season, but he’s likely best suited to be a backup. Second-year guard Sidy Sow has taken a massive step back after a promising rookie season. Center Ben Brown is a nice story but isn’t in the long-term plans. Same for guard Michael Jordan.
The team has high hopes for fourth-round pick Layden Robinson, but he’s already been benched twice this season, which isn’t a great sign considering this should be the easiest offensive line in the NFL to break into.
The Patriots will probably enter the offseason with only Onwenu as a sure starter in 2025 while telling Wallace, Lowe and Andrews they can compete for positions. That may sound harsh for Andrews, and maybe given all he’s meant to the team, he gets the benefit of the doubt. But he will be 33 next season coming off a serious injury after playing just OK this fall.
Free agency
This is where things get tricky. At other positions, like wide receiver, one player can make a massive difference. If the Patriots could add someone like Tee Higgins, their group of receivers would immediately be dramatically better.
That’s not typically how an offensive line works. As some coaches preach, that group is usually only as good as its weakest player. It’s the only position group where you’re truly reliant on four other players to properly do your job. If there’s one weak person, it doesn’t matter if the other four are great.
That’s why, while it may be tempting to consider the top-of-the-market free-agent offensive linemen, I’d argue the wiser path is spending big on Higgins, then adding a bunch of middle-of-the-market free-agent offensive linemen.
If that only makes the offensive line average while they develop a highly drafted rookie offensive tackle, that’s still a massive upgrade for Maye compared to this season.
The top free-agent offensive linemen are likely to be guard Trey Smith (Chiefs) and tackle Ronnie Stanley (Ravens). I’d certainly hear an argument for signing one of them, but the more likely path could be bringing in, say, three offensive linemen, each at around $10 million per year.
Stanley is 30 but will still likely be the priciest tackle. Another option at tackle is Cam Robinson, who was just traded to the Minnesota Vikings to help replace Christian Darrisaw for the rest of this season. If the Patriots could get either of them at an average annual value of less than $20 million, that’d probably be worthwhile.
Some other names to consider are guards Zack Martin (Cowboys), Dalton Risner (Vikings), Liam Eichenberg (Dolphins) and James Daniels (Steelers). At tackle, they could look at Alaric Jackson (Rams), Mekhi Becton (Eagles) or Garett Bolles (Broncos).
The goal should be landing three starting-caliber offensive linemen in free agency, even if none are in the top 10 in the league at their position.
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The draft
Good news/bad news on this front.
The good news is that the Patriots are poised to have a great draft pick, certainly in the top 10 and likely in the top five. If the season ended today, they’d have the No. 1 pick. Since they need so much help across the roster, the dream scenario is getting the top overall pick, then trading back with a quarterback-needy team.
The bad news is that while last year’s class of offensive tackles was great, this one isn’t looking nearly as good.
Still, the Patriots need an offensive tackle with either their first- or second-round pick. There’s plenty of time to argue whether wide receiver or offensive line should come first in the draft, and that’s likely to be decided by how free agency goes. To get a better sense of the offensive tackles projected to be at the top of the draft, here’s what our draft expert Dane Brugler said when I asked him who the Pats could consider early at the position:
Will Campbell (LSU): While his lack of ideal arm length will be debated throughout the draft process, he plays with the fluidity and control to get the job done. Still only 20 years old, he moves like Jake Matthews but blocks with more grit and finish, especially in the run game. I’m holding out hope that he can stay outside at tackle, but some teams like him better inside at guard or even center.
Cameron Williams (Texas): I like Texas left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. better at guard, but Williams has the raw tools of a future NFL starting tackle. Currently in his first season as a starter, he is raw and undisciplined in several areas and might not be ready to step in from day one. But Williams is a big-bodied athlete with impressive range and power in his hands — it’ll just take patience.
Josh Simmons (Ohio State): Simmons was in the running for OT1 in this draft class before suffering a season-ending knee injury against Oregon in October. Details are still unknown about the injury and whether it will lead him back to Columbus for another season. But when healthy, Simmons is light and balanced on his feet and can move defenders in the run game.
After a historic class last season, offensive tackle might be one of the weaker positions in this draft class, which is disappointing news for a lot of teams — including the Patriots.
(Photo of Caedan Wallace: Eric Canha / USA Today)
