Less than two weeks away from their season opener, the Patriots’ offensive line is in shambles.
Left tackle Trent Brown and center David Andrews were the only starters available for most of training camp and the preseason. Their line mates are scattered across the trainer’s room.
Starting guards Cole Strange and Mike Onwenu continue to recover from lower-body injuries, with Onwenu undergoing offseason ankle surgery and Strange hurting his left leg during a July 31 practice. Onwenu made his practice debut last week in a limited capacity, while Strange has been out since his injury.
Will either be able to start against the Eagles on Sept. 10?
“We’ll see,” Pats coach Bill Belichick said Monday. “(We’ll) take it day by day.”
Projected starting right tackle Riley Reiff suffered his own leg injury in last Friday’s preseason finale against the Titans. Reiff walked off the field and out of the medical tent under his own power, but it’s unclear how much game time, if any, he might miss.
“Yeah, I think that’s what we’re going to have to wait and see on here,” Belichick said of Reiff’s timeline. “See how it progresses over the next few days and we’ll have a better read on it then.”
Reiff has also been playing right guard the last 2-3 weeks, while fourth-round rookie Sidy Sow transitions to right tackle and works with the starters. Sow’s elevation is partly tied to Calvin Anderson’s ongoing stay on the Non-Football Illness list. Anderson, the team’s projected swing tackle, has yet to be medically cleared after practicing at both offensive tackle spots in the spring.
“Not sure. We’ll see how that goes,” Belichick said. “Again, we’ll continue to monitor his situation. When he’s medically cleared, we’ll have a decision to make.”
In light of all these injuries and the uncertainty around their offensive line, the Patriots swung trades for ex-Browns offensive tackle Tyrone Wheatley Jr. and former Vikings offensive tackle Vederian Lowe on Sunday. Wheatley has played both offensive tackle spots, while Lowe has spent most of the last year-plus at left tackle. Both players are career backups.
The Pats traded second-year running back Pierre Strong for Wheatley and sent a sixth-round pick to Minnesota in exchange for Lowe.
Asked if either offensive tackle could be expected to contribute right away, Belichick said Monday: “I don’t know. We’ll have to work with them and see how it goes.”