FOXBORO — The Patriots don’t play a meaningful game for 39 days. It’s important to remember that when looking across the practice field at who’s currently protecting quarterback Mac Jones on the offensive line, because the situation has looked dire over the last two days as availability along the unit is dwindling.
Left tackle Trent Brown has been working on a side field doing conditioning in recent practices. The Patriots are managing his workload, a source told the Herald. Head coach Bill Belichick said Monday that Brown had reported to camp “lighter than he’s been.”
Left guard Cole Strange got banged up during Monday’s practice and didn’t participate Tuesday. Right guard Mike Onwenu is still on the physically unable to perform list, swing tackle Calvin Anderson remains on the non-football illness list, and the right tackle job looks like an ongoing competition between veteran free-agent pickup Riley Reiff and journeyman Conor McDermott.
So, the offensive line protecting Jones on Tuesday was Reiff at left tackle, rookie fifth-round pick Atonio Mafi at left guard, starting center David Andrews, Bill Murray — a converted practice squad defensive tackle — at right guard and McDermott at right tackle. Respectfully, that line would not hold up for a second against intradivisional pass rushers like Von Miller, Bradley Chubb and Quinnen Williams.
Still, internally, the team was encouraged by what they saw from the offensive line Monday in the first padded practice of the summer despite the injuries and believes the young players are coming along well.
The Patriots still have time to get Brown on the main field at practice, Strange back from his injury, Onwenu off the PUP list and Anderson activated from NFI. There’s still no real certainty that the Patriots have the pieces in place to protect Jones this season, however, and teams typically aren’t in the business of trading away useful offensive linemen, especially during the summer.
If healthy, the Patriots are looking at Brown at left tackle, Strange at left guard, Andrews at center, Onwnu at right guard and someone at right tackle.
“Everyone just shows up to work every day and try not to focus on that, just focus on improving ourselves,” McDermott said about the competition at right tackle.
Reiff and McDermott have both seen work at the position. Anderson might be in the mix, as well, if healthy.
Head coach Bill Belichick is high on the Patriots’ developmental players at the position too in 2023 fourth-round pick Sidy Sow — a converted guard — and 2022 seventh-round pick Andrew Stueber, a two-year starter at Michigan. Murray has been the top backup at guard through the first week of training camp, though Mafi found himself in the mix Tuesday when Strange was out. Rookie fourth-round pick Jake Andrews, a center and guard, missed practices this week, and 2022 sixth-round pick Chasen Hines was out Tuesday after suffering an apparent injury on Monday. Interior offensive linemen Kody Russey — an undrafted free agent last year — and James Ferentz — an undersized 34-year-old veteran whose started nine games in nine years — are also in the mix.
Anderson and Reiff were the two outside free agents brought to New England this offseason and figured to play key roles this season. Anderson was a participant in the spring but was added to the NFI list before training camp began. Belichick would only really say, “we’ll see how it goes” when asked if Anderson’s situation is potentially long-term.
“Look, it’s always hard on those situations,” Belichick said. “If everything goes perfectly, then that’s one thing. If something comes up and there’s a setback, or there’s a change, then that’s something else. So, I’m not going to sit here and try to play fortune teller and look into the crystal ball and say, ‘Oh, well this guy is going to be healthy on X date’. I can’t do that. Day-to-day.”
The Patriots elected not to sign one of the big-time free agents at the position like Orlando Brown, Jawaan Taylor or Mike McGlinchey — all of whom will make $16 million-plus per year — and waited until the fourth round to select an offensive lineman in the draft this offseason. Jake Andrews, who’s expected to back up David Andrews at center, was their first pick along the line early in the fourth round. Sow primarily played guard in college, but the Patriots like him at tackle. And Mafi started his college career at defensive tackle before moving to guard.
In an ideal world, a young player like Sow would start at right tackle, but he’s been working on the scout team so far in training camp.
“I think he’s made a lot of progress,” Belichick said.
Stueber missed his rookie season but has been playing left tackle on the scout team in practice.
“Yeah, he’s like 50 times further along than where he was last year,” Belichick said.”He got hurt before we even got to rookie minicamp and basically missed the entire season, as you said, other than a few practices at the end of the year.
“He’s had a full offseason. He’s good to go; it’s good to have him out here. He gets better every day. He really missed a full year of football, but the reps and the training, he’s kind of rebuilt his body a little bit. He’s definitely improved in that area, strength, overall conditioning, body composition, all that. He was a good football player at Michigan, and he’s gotten a lot of reps out here and he’s done well with them. It’s good to have him. We’ll see how he develops. It’s like having an extra draft choice.”
It’s only August. But the last few days of practice have shown how quickly things could go south this seaosn on the offensive line with a couple of key injuries.