The latest edition of our Patriots mailbag answers questions about offensive tackles, Kendrick Bourne, and more.
In the midst of a three-game losing streak, the New England Patriots return home to Gillette Stadium where they’ll welcome their AFC East foe Miami Dolphins.
New England will keep the keys in Jacoby Brissett’s hands, despite the offense ranking 31st in football averaging 13.0 points per game. The team below them? The Dolphins, who are averaging just 11.3 points per game and now on their third QB in Tyler Huntley.
With both teams looking for their second win on the season, let’s get into this week’s #PostPulpit mailbag.
LT is a huge weakness. Why hasn’t Eliot Wolf brought in LTs Smith, Leno, Bakatari or Humphries for workouts/physicals? The OTs they have brought in recently are not starting caliber. I don’t understand why Wolf is not addressing the LT position? – DennyLemaster23
Shouldn’t we be looking at signing veteran LT’s? I know the best unsigned ones are not healthy but still Donovan Smith or old buddy swing T Cameron Fleming are out there and can help get Brissett and hopefully Maye through the season and help the offense grow? – Mosi_Tatupu
At the beginning of the week, Jerod Mayo said adding a veteran offensive tackle would be in consideration. The head coach then threw cold water on the idea on Wednesday.
“Not at this current time,” Mayo said. “We talked about the — the question here was about the veteran offensive linemen that were out there. So, we’re not on that at this current time.”
While we’ve noted several times that many of the available options would not be solutions at the position, New England is at the point where they simply need bodies. After Caedan Wallace’s injury, Demontrey Jacobs and Mike Onwenu are the lone healthy tackles on the roster — not including Caleb Jones and Jalen McKenzie on the practice squad.
The good news is Vederian Lowe has upped his participation this week as he works his way back from a knee injury, but New England could benefit from more options.
The other tricky part of the puzzle is that these negotiations are a two-way street. What is the appeal for many of these tackles in their mid-30’s to come and play for one of the worst team’s in the league? Perhaps that changes, but New England will probably have to continue to look elsewhere.
Kendrick Bourne has returned to practice recently. He has a very reasonable contract through 2026. Should he be healthy, is more useful to this team or as a trade chip? – 1stStateSoxFan
I’m not sure how much Bourne would fetch on the open market coming back from a torn ACL, so I’d keep him on the roster. New England’s offense could use a healthy Bourne with his ability to separate at the first two levels, something Tyquan Thornton and K.J. Osborn have not been able to do consistently.
When Drake Maye takes over, the rookie needs to be in the best scenario possible. That includes Kendrick Bourne in the receiver room over a late-round pick.
Why did Wolf/Mayo give Stevenson a 4-year extension? – Matt1102
The fumbling needs to stop, and Stevenson, who likely will see his snaps limited this week, should revert to the bench if it happens again. But, he still has proven to be a good back that can carry the majority of a workload in a backfield.
With the extension, New England can also get out from the deal after just two years. Cutting bait in 2027 would result in a $3.2 million dead cap hit, while the penalty the following year is just $1.6 million. That deal will not hamper them in any way moving forward.
Why isn’t anyone questioning Mayo’s brother as the strength and conditioning coach for all the injuries? Something is NOT right. – capatriot
This year’s training camp was more grueling than those of years past. But, a majority of New England’s injuries (David Andrews, Ja’Whaun Bentley, Sidy Sow, Oshane Ximines, Caedan Wallace, etc.) all occurred in game. No control over those.
How likely is it we draft LT and OC/LG in 2025 NFL Draft?My dream is…1. Will Campbell/Kelvin Banks Jr.2. Parker Brailsford/Tyler Booker.What do you think? – For Pats Sake
Early draft talk! Long way to go, but offensive tackle should definitely be the priority in round one where things stand now. The question now is will Campbell and Banks be worthy of a top selection come April. My biggest question at this point comes down to Campbell’s arm length which might result in him moving inside at the next level. One other name that I like at tackle: Minnesota’s Aireontae Ersery.
I haven’t explored the interior lineman in this year’s class much, but the hope is they should not have to invest a top resource into the position with Cole Strange, Sidy Sow, Layden Robinson, and potentially Mike Onwenu at guard. A mid-to-late-round center should be also be in consideration.
That’s all for this week’s #PostPulpit mailbag. If you have questions you’d liked to be answered next week, submit them online in our weekly submission post or on Twitter using #PostPulpit. Make sure to be following @iambrianhines and @PatsPulpit as well.