Most people who watch football games follow the ball. It's hard not to, especially when you’re watching on TV. The cameras are trained to follow that oddly shaped pigskin (Wikipedia calls it a prolate spheroid. I knew that...). It’s a little different when you watch in person or go back and rewatch on the All-22. Why did this play work? Why didn’t it? When I’m watching the offense, I start with the line play. And too often in the postseason, the Patriots' offensive line was inconsistent at best, a weak link at worst. That got lost at times this season because the team won 16 of 17, Drake Mayewas playing like an MVP, and, quite frankly, some didn’t want to hear/read the negative. Are we past that now?
The Pats have money to spend - assuming ownership is willing to at least dip their toes into free agency if not fully submerge as they did a year ago. And there are players who can help, or in one case in particular, be transformative if they want to write a big check. We’ll save the tackle spot for another day and instead focus on the interior offensive line.
UNDER CONTRACT: Mike Onwenu, Jared Wilson, Garrett Bradbury, Ben Brown, Caedan Wallace, Andrew Rupcich, Mehki Butler
Could you make the case to bring the top four back? Sure. Should they? See above. At the very least, there needs to be real competition, whether that’s Wilson vs. Bradbury at center, or Wilson vs. Brown at left guard, or even Wilson vs. an unnamed vet free agent at either position.
Onwenu, the player, deserves to stay. He was the team’s best player up front over the second half of the season, and had he made the Pro Bowl (for his play, not whatever else goes into those selections), I wouldn’t have been surprised. Onwenu, along with Morgan Moses, became the side of the line the Pats relied on, running behind that duo whenever they needed tough yards. They weren’t perfect - they were gotten by some stunts that, quite frankly, I didn’t think should happen to players of that experience level - but by and large, that was the strength of this unit.
Here’s the issue with Onwenu: his salary and his physical condition. The 28-year-old has a $25 million cap hit and $17.5 million in cash. Is his play worth that? Probably. In fact, I argued late in the year that I’d consider extending him with at least one more year of real money, while also knocking down his number for the upcoming season. But he’s a large man, and weight was an issue this year, as in previous years. Could Onwenu be better if he played lighter? And at this stage of his career, can he be convinced that’s what is best? Moving on costs $7.5 million in dead cap. That’s relative chump change, though I wouldn’t do it.
As for Wilson, the rookie had his moments. He started 14 games alongside fellow first-year player Will Campbell, and when those two were moving people and climbing to the second level to pick off a linebacker, you could see the vision.
Wilson, who was a one-year starter at Georgia playing center, had to adjust his stance during the season, moving to a two-point instead of a hand-in-the-dirt stance. It was a Mike Vrabel suggestion (as Bedard wrote about), and a big reason was how disconnected Wilson’s lower half was from his upper half. Guess what? If he goes back to center next season, he’ll have to figure out how to make that work. That might be more difficult than you think.
Bradbury was the biggest surprise of the season. He had a lot of clean sheets in pass pro, which was a direct contrast to how he performed the year prior in Minnesota. He, too, showed off his athleticism, even at 30. Bradbury will always have trouble with power. It’s not insurmountable at that position, but something to note. There’s also the contract. He was cheap a year ago. His number jumps to $6.9 million, but there are no guaranteed dollars remaining. The Pats could walk and save over $5 million against that cap and invest that elsewhere if they a) want Wilson to take over or b) find a different option via the draft or free agency.
Brown was the only player under contract who got real playing time last season. And his work earned him an extension that barely impacts the cap (0.6% in 2026, 0.8% in 2027). Brown’s not young - he’s 28 - but can line up anywhere on the inside, including center. He’s the perfect backup and showed enough as a spot starter that the team feels comfortable with him if it comes to that.
The Pats told you all you needed to know about Wallace, a third-round pick just two years ago who was, at one point, trumpeted as a possible starting left tackle. About that...Wallace moved to guard and played in one game - 8 snaps - this season. Perhaps this was a good year behind the scenes for him. Or more likely, he is two-and-through.
FREE AGENTS
1. Tyler Linderbaum(25 years old, Baltimore) - I think he’s the best free agent available. That goes for any position, any side of the ball. Linderbaum came into the league as one of the more athletic centers in football and remains that, but also with great technical skill. He is an outstanding run blocker, thriving in zone and gap schemes, and an above-average pass blocker who had his best year in that regard, with a 97.2% passblock win rate. The Ravens didn’t pick up his 5th year option because the CBA is absurd, and his option would have been equal to the top 5 tackles in football. No one is doing that. PFF estimates $80 million, $53 mil guaranteed) over 4 years. I could see some team going north of that (Las Vegas, NYG). If the Pats move on from Bradbury, decide to keep Wilson at guard, and maybe restructure or move on from Onwenu, they could go there.
2. Joel Bitonio (34 years old, Cleveland) - He’s still a good player (really good in pass pro). Older, yes, but I see him doing for NE what Kevin Zietler did for Tennessee last year. He’s a stable presence at left guard, and putting a veteran in between two second-year players (potentially) makes a ton of sense to me. There isn’t anything he hasn’t seen, much like Moses at tackle. This wouldn’t be a long-term commitment, but would be an above-average placeholder for a future draft pick (or Wilson) to take over. PFF projects one year for $4.5 million.
3. David Edwards(28 years old, Buffalo) - Another left guard, but you’d be plucking this off the Buffalo tree. The Bills' line has been one of the best in football in each of the last two years, and Edwards has certainly been a stabilizer, playing over 1,000 snaps both seasons. His 95% pass-rush win rate ranked 12th among 65 qualifying guards. He’s 6’6”, has longer arms than your left tackle (nearly 34”), and big mitts (all the better to hold defensive tackles with). PFF estimates $35 million ($21 mil guaranteed) over three years.
4. Isaac Seumalo (32 years old, Pittsburgh) - Another one-year stopgap at left guard, and another guy who has been through the wars and can help firm up the interior and bridge the age gap. Good in both zone and gap blocking schemes (he’ll be attractive to West Coast offenses), but is still strong. He was awesome in pass pro this past season (97.3% pass rush win rate, 2nd at the position) and 76.9% in run block win rate (4th). I put him below Bitonio for two reasons: 1) Vrabel worked with Bitonio in Cleveland two years ago, and 2) Seumalo will cost more. PFF thinks one year for $8.5 million. I wouldn’t be surprised if it takes more years and dollars.
Others of note: James Daniels (RG, Miami, coming off injury), Alijah Vera-Tucker (everywhere, NYJ, injury-prone but uber-talented), Zeitler (36, rock solid), Teven Jenkins(27, Cleveland, good 2nd half of season)
