FOXBORO — It’s been more than 12 months since Cole Strange started an NFL game.
If the drought ends Saturday, Strange should find himself at a new position.
With starting center Ben Brown in concussion protocol, the Patriots’ 2022 first-round pick appears primed to make his return to the starting lineup this weekend against the Chargers. Strange, who started his first two NFL seasons at left guard, has been training at center ever since he completed his rehab from the torn patellar tendon he suffered late last season. Speaking with reporters Thursday, Strange sounded eager to get back to playing offense, after he returned in a limited, special-teams only capacity last weekend.
“I’m fired up for the opportunity, honestly,” Strange said. “I feel like I’ve been working for this for a year now.”
The 26-year-old downplayed both the transition to center and any rust he might be shaking off after so much time away.
“The position I’m in, is really no different than the position that a lot of guys across the league are in, coming back from injury,” Strange said. “Maybe they’ve had a week or so of practice, I’ve had multiple weeks.”
He continued: “I feel very prepared. We still got a couple more days, but I feel good, I feel good physically, the knees feel healthy.”
If Strange starts at center, he will be responsible for calling the protections. He explained the offense operates around basic rules that govern most of his decision-making in that area, something he never had to do in his 27 career starts at left guard.
“I feel like it’s kind of simple, but not easy, once you learn it,” he said. “At first it feels complicated, because there’s a lot of stuff. But once you kind of figure out the basic rules, it feels simple.”
The other candidate to start at center is Lecitus Smith, a third-year backup the Patriots signed off Green Bay’s practice squad in mid-October. Smith has appeared in six games for the Patriots this season, most recently serving as a sixth offensive lineman and/or fullback in jumbo sets.
Head coach Jerod Mayo said the team was considering both Strange and Smith if Brown is forced to miss Saturday’s game. Brown was officially listed as questionable on the team’s injury report. Mayo is also on the record earlier this month saying the team wants a longer look at certain young players down the stretch of the regular season, a group that includes Strange.
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