Wild stats highlighting Patriots roster turnover at key positions originally aired on NBC Sports Boston
Some bad teams completely attack their starting quarterback to achieve NFL relevance. But the New England Patriots’ most unstable position may be in front of QB.
Two of the Patriots’ offensive tackles have struggled with injuries this week, with Vederian Rowe (knee) not yet practicing this week and rookie Kaydan Wallace (knee) playing limitedly. If neither is available, New England will use recently signed DeMotry Jacobs (who went undrafted in 2023 and made his NFL debut last week) as the starting left tackle against All-Pro defensive end Nick Bosa and Sun. ) will have to rely on Francisco 49ers.
That may sound like a disaster scenario, but it’s nothing new for this Patriots team. He started three different left tackles through three games in 2024 — Chukwuma Okorafor in Week 1, Lowe in Week 2, and Wallace in Week 3.
If Jacobs goes 4-for-4 on Sunday, he will become the 13th different offensive tackle (left or right) to start a game for New England since the start of the 2022 season. Click here for the previous 12 According to Zach Cox of the Boston Herald:
Kaydan Wallace
Vederian Law
Chukwuma Okorafor
Mike Onwenu
trent brown
calvin anderson
conor mcdermott
Yodny Cajuste
marcus cannon
Isaiah Wynn
Justin Herron
yasir durant
That’s the average of a new starting offensive tackle every three games over the past two-plus seasons. And that’s why the Patriots had the worst offense in the NFL during that span (26th in yards per game in 2022, 30th in 2023, and entering Week 4 in 2024). This explains part of the reason why it was ranked last.
As the list above shows, New England has whiffed on OT in both the NFL Draft and free agency. Herron, Wynn, Cannon, Cajuste, Onwenu and Wallace were all drafted after 2018, and Onwenu and Wallace are the only players left on the team. Of the six tackles the team signed in free agency after 2022 (Durant, McDermott, Anderson, Brown, Okorafor and Lowe), Lowe is the only one still with the team.
There is an element of injury and bad luck here. Lowe is a solid option at left tackle when healthy, and the team couldn’t have anticipated Okorafor’s surprising departure from the team earlier this month. But the Patriots’ personnel department, now led by de facto general manager Elliott Wolf, is responsible for finding a solution.
If the Patriots want to properly develop No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye, they need to stop the revolving door at offensive tackle, especially on the left side. It’s either acquiring an established veteran in 2025 free agency (or before the 2024 NFL trade deadline) or an early 2025 draft pick at left tackle who can keep the position for years to come. means to use.
