Welcome to 7 Patriots training camp questions!
Each day leading up to the start of camp, the Herald will explore one of the biggest questions facing the Pats this summer. Several pertain to the offense, which welcomed back Bill O’Brien this offseason and added JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mike Gesicki. Other questions cover the defense and special teams, units that might rely heavily on rookies and must overcome the loss of longtime captain Devin McCourty.
Once the Patriots hit the practice field, here’s what they must learn before the season kicks off versus Philadelphia on Sept. 10.
The Patriots made up their minds early this offseason.
High-priced offensive tackles? Pass.
They were happy to watch free agents Orlando Brown, Mike McGlinchey and Jawaan Taylor sign elsewhere and become some of the highest-paid players on other teams’, despite falling squarely outside the top five, maybe even top 10, players on those rosters.
Draft a top prospect to start right away? Pass.
With first-round talent Broderick Jones still on the board at 14th overall, the Pats traded back, all but inviting Pittsburgh to draft the Georgia product. In fact, they didn’t select a single offensive tackle all draft, instead opting to try fourth-round Eastern Michigan guard Sidy Sow at tackle, a position he last played full-time in 2018.
Because the Patriots, as they have so often, opted to reach into the discount bin to patch their roster holes. There, they pulled out former Broncos swing tackle Calvin Anderson and longtime veteran Riley Reiff in March. Anderson and Reiff were two of their earliest free-agent signings, a strong indication the front office prioritized overhauling its depth at a shaky position last season.
However, they failed to replenish that depth with starting-caliber players. Between Anderson, Reiff and the re-signed Conor McDermott, it’s a morass of mediocrity. Their most talented offensive tackle, Trent Brown, is entering a contract year, typically the best time to field the 6-foot-8, 380-pounder who has a history of come-and-go motivation.
But already, Brown may have flexed the leverage of his current position as the only proven starter on the roster by missing the first day of minicamp; a sign he knows the Patriots need him as much as he needs to play well for another payday. Brown is a capable left tackle with rare talent, but proved penalty-prone last season and has spotty reliability.
Opposite Brown, the Patriots reportedly believe Reiff can and should be their new starting right tackle. Reiff played well in the second half of last season for Chicago as an injury replacement. Still, the O-line-needy Bears bid him farewell a year after the 2021 Bengals — another team undercut by its poor offensive line — let him walk.
Reiff started his career at left tackle in Detroit (2012-16), then moved to Minnesota (’17-20), Cincinnati (2021) and Chicago (2022). Last season, he allowed pressure on 6.1% of his pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, a palatable, but not great, number for an offensive tackle. He also posted an average run-blocking grade, per PFF.
What comes next for the 34-year-old could hinge on whether Anderson can beat him out. Both players should make the roster by virtue of the guaranteed money in their contracts, though most of Anderson’s experience has come on the left side, where the Patriots recently deployed him for select spring practices.
Sources: Patriots agree to terms with final two unsigned rookies
Barring any additional transactions, the Pats are now gambling with this talent at a position that sunk them last season. Isaiah Wynn, grumpy from the get-go about his position change, had a streak of four straight games with a sack and a penalty at right tackle. Yodny Cajuste attempted to replace him, but now finds himself off the roster.
It's possible they will relive this reality -- sans Wynn's meltdowns -- if Reiff or Anderson succumb to injury. Because McDermott, a recent veteran of the Jets' practice squad who replaced Cajuste last year, is again the Pats' fourth offensive tackle with little competition ahead of him. How will that look? Will it ever come to that?
Perhaps new O- line coach Adrian Klemm can cure what's expected to ail the Patriots. The best version of Brown and Reiff or Anderson should be enough to protect Mac Jones at a sufficient level based on their recent histories of performance. But best-case scenarios are rare in the NFL, particularly for offensive lines.
And yet this is what the Patriots are banking on in a make-or-break year for several key organizational figures, starting with their quarterback.