GREEN BAY, Wisc. — The Patriots have got one starter back on their offensive line, and it’s a big one — literally and figureatively.
Left tackle Trent Brown was a full participant in practice Wednesday in Green Bay for joint practices with the Packers. The Patriots had missed Brown for most of the first two weeks of training camp as he dealt with a nagging injury.
“For it to be my second day in pads, I feel pretty good,” Brown said. “Definitely still got a ways to go, but I feel good.”
“It feels great to be back out there,” Brown added. “Just dealing with what I was dealing with, fighting through it. We obviously need it. I need reps. My team needs me out there just so we can get a good look at what we’re trying to do here.”
The Patriots are still missing starting left guard Cole Strange, who suffered an injury early in training camp, and starting right guard Mike Onwenu, who remains on the physically unable to perform list. Swing tackle Calvin Anderson, signed this offseason as a free agent, is also still on the non-football illness list but has been spotted at practices in street clothes.
That all has forced rookies Atonio Mafi and Sidy Sow into top roles at left guard and right tackles, respectively with Riley Reiff — projected as the team’s starting right tackle — moving over to right guard.
“I have confidence in every guy in our room,” Brown said. “I feel like none of us would be here if they didn’t believe in us to get the job done.”
Sow primarily played guard in college but has been converted to tackle with the Patriots. He mostly worked with the scout team in OTAs and minicamp this spring and through the beginning of training camp until an ascension within the past week since the Patriots’ preseason opener last Thursday.
Reiff and veteran offensive tackle Conor McDermott has previously been splitting reps at right tackle.
“Sidy’s an athletic guy,” Brown said. “I think he’s made leaps and bounds these last couple of weeks. I’ve been working with him extra, just trying to make sure he’s on point. You guys see. I think he’s doing a lot better. We’ll see, again, when we go check the film out.”