The most problematic position group on the Patriots’ roster has seen quite a bit of change this offseason.
The New England Patriots offense as a whole underwhelmed in 2024, even after inserting promising rookie quarterback Drake Maye into the lineup. There were several factors involved, but one of the most prominent was a lack of consistency along the offensive line: the unit struggled both in terms of finding the right starting quintet and in terms of performance.
Unsurprisingly, the Patriots made addressing their O-line one of the top priorities this offseason. With free agency officially a week old, several moves have indeed be made to improve the group heading into 2025.
Whether that will actually happen remains to be seen. However, it is quite clear New England — now led by new head coach Mike Vrabel, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and offensive line coach Doug Marrone — is willing to start over up front.
Patriots free agency moves
The Patriots made several moves before and during free agency, in the form of adding, retaining and subtracting talent. The first group includes the team’s three veteran signings, starting with right tackle Morgan Moses (3 years, $24M); later, interior linemen Wes Schweitzer (1 year, $TBD) and Garrett Bradbury (2 years, $12M max) were added to the mix as well.
In addition, the Patriots kept tackle Demontrey Jacobs and center Ben Brown on exclusive rights tenders, effectively signing them to respective 1-year, $1.03 million deals.
Finally, two players were released. Free agent-to-be tackle Chukwuma Okorafor was cut leading up to free agency, while long-time center David Andrews was released with a failed physical designation after the official start of the new league year. Furthermore, interior backup Lester Cotton was not tendered as a restricted free agent and remains unsigned.
Current Patriots offensive line
As of Wednesday morning, the Patriots have 15 offensive linemen under contract for the 2025 season. While some of them have clear positional labels, there is plenty of versatility to be found. The players, ranked in alphabetical order, will be marked accordingly.
C/G Jake Andrews: Entering his third year in the NFL, Andrews is in a tough position. He has only one start on his career résumé after missing all of 2024 due to injury, and being a fourth-round draft choice will only help you so much when you were picked two coaching staffs ago.
C Garrett Bradbury: The Vikings were eager to replace six-year starter Bradbury this offseason, and they managed to do so when they signed Ryan Kelly — who is two years older — in free agency. This made Bradbury available, and the center-needy Patriots picked him up in free agency. He offers considerable experience and as things currently stand projects as the starter.
C/G Ben Brown: Brown started 10 games after being signed during the 2024 season, and he was retained as a free agent, as mentioned above. However, he does have his limitations and with Bradbury on the roster might have to compete for a backup spot along the interior.
OT Demontrey Jacobs: Jacobs was the Patriots’ No. 1 right tackle throughout 2024, but he had a rough campaign. In fact, the only reason why he remained in the lineup might have been a lack of suitable alternatives. With Morgan Moses on board, he is now headed for backup duty as a swing tackle candidate.
OT Caleb Jones: A former member of the New England practice squad, Jones factoring into the mix would be a surprise. A massive human being, he is both the tallest (6’9”) and the heaviest (370 lbs) player on the Patriots’ current roster.
OT Vederian Lowe: Lowe took a massive step up from his disastrous 2023 season, showing some encouraging signs after moving from right to left tackle. However, he still was a weak point along the line throughout his 13 starts and like his right-side counterpart — Demontrey Jacobs — is a prime candidate to be replaced come the regular season. The how is not yet clear, though.
RT Morgan Moses: Probably the best pure right tackle the Patriots could have signed in free agency, Moses brings considerable experience, longevity and proven quality as both a pass protector and run blocker to the equation. While it remains to be seen how much the 34-year-old has left in the tank, the team seems confident based on the contract he was given.
RG Michael Onwenu: Once again, Onwenu’s eventual position was the subject of offseason speculation. With Morgan Moses in the fold, however, there are no questions left: he will finally have a permanent home at right guard. Entering 2025, it is the position he played more snaps in than any other throughout his career.
G Layden Robinson: The Patriots’ previous regime picked Robinson in the fourth round last year, and he ended up starting 11 games between initially the right and later the left guard position. He looked significantly better in the second spot, but questions especially about his pass blocking remain.
G Tyrese Robinson: Robinson was added from the Minnesota practice squad in November, and was a healthy scratch for seven straight games before seeing extended action in the season finale. Whether he will be able to carry that momentum into 2025 is questionable.
G/C Wes Schweitzer: The Patriots needed more experience up front following David Andrews’ release, and they found it in Wes Schweitzer. The 31-year-old has been a backup for most of his career, and played just 150 offensive snaps over the last two seasons combined, which means that he projects as a do-it-all backup rather than a realistic starting option.
G/C Lecitus Smith: Similar to Tyrese Robinson, Smith also was brought aboard during the season and ended up not having much of an impact. While he offers more versatility, his outlook is similarly unclear.
OT/G Sidy Sow: Sow spent virtually all of training camp last summer as the starting left guard, but an injury in the preseason finale derailed his 2024 campaign. He ended up starting just one game and ended the season as a backup right tackle. A fresh start under a new coaching staff is in order, but there is no telling it will lead to him regaining the promise he showed as a rookie and pre-injury as a sophomore.
LG/C Cole Strange: A first-round selection in 2022, Strange started 27 games at left guard before a torn patellar tendon ended his 2023 season. He made his comeback a year later, in December 2024, and ended up starting two games at center rather than left guard. With Garrett Bradbury in the fold, however, he might be moving back to his former position — or elsewhere (the bench or another team) entirely.
OT Caedan Wallace: Wallace was drafted in the third round last year in hopes of factoring into the left tackle mix, but that never happened. He eventually returned to his college position of right tackle, but missed time due to injury and never seriously managed to threaten Demontrey Jacobs’ hold of the starting position. He too is one of the player in dire need of a fresh start.
Projected Patriots offensive line depth chart
With 15 players in the fold right now, we can now project what the starting lineup at the moment might look like. Projection is the key word here, because — with a few exceptions — ew don’t know how the team internally views the talent available.
Also, as mentioned above, there is plenty of versatility available; one player slotted into one particular spot very well could move over to another to increase the depth there. With all that said, let’s take a look where things might stand as of March 19:
Left tackle: Vederian Lowe | Demontrey Jacobs | Caleb Jones
Left guard: Cole Strange | Layden Robinson | Tyrese Robinson
Center: Garrett Bradbury | Ben Brown | Jake Andrews
Right guard: Michael Onwenu | Wes Schweitzer | Lecitus Smith
Right tackle: Morgan Moses | Caedan Wallace | Sidy Sow
The right side of the Patriots’ offensive line seems relatively settled at the moment. Michael Onwenu is locked into the right guard spot, with Morgan Moses joining him as the bookend — giving New England a massive duo to work with.
Garrett Bradbury, who was just added as a free agent looks like the top choice to take over the center position previously filled by the likes of David Andrews, Ben Brown and Cole Strange.
As for Strange, he appears to be in limbo heading into 2025: entering the final year of his rookie contract, he offers superior experience and a more well-rounded skillset when compared to Layden Robinson — hence why he is ahead of him on our depth chart right now — but any outcome seems possible. The former first-round draft pick ending up as a starter is no more likely than him spending 2025 as a backup or getting traded.
Left tackle, meanwhile, is a similar question mark. The main difference is that the current group offers far less developmental upside as Strange and Robinson do at left guard. Frankly, it would be a surprise if the Patriots headed into the regular season with Vederian Lowe as their top option.