FOXBORO, Mass. — Just over a month in the New England Patriots’ offseason workout program, the team is still holding an open competition to replace starting left tackle Nate Solder.
Patriots offensive line captain David Andrews acknowledged Thursday it was difficult losing Solder to the New York Giants in free agency.
“It’s tough,” Andrews said at Gillette Stadium. “Nate was such a good person to me, good leader, a guy I looked up to and learned a lot from in the time I was here. A guy who did it the right way. Just seeing how he carried himself with everything he dealt with outside of this building, I have the most respect for him. Unfortunately, the NFL’s a business at the end of the day, and it happens. We’ve been pretty fortunate to be a single group kinda my three years here. That was definitely tough but at the end of the day, it’s going to happen, and I think everyone’s gotta come in, we’ve gotta go to work. You can’t sit around. Life’s gotta move on and that’s what we’re planning to do.”
Solder was the Patriots’ starting left tackle from 2012 to 2017. He missed just 14 games (12 of those coming in 2015) during that span.
Rookie Isaiah Wynn and veteran Trent Brown are the favorites to replace Solder. Wynn was selected 23rd overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, and Brown was acquired in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers.
Wynn is just 6-foot-2, 302 pounds, however, and Brown has spent most of his pro and college careers at right tackle. The Patriots also have offensive tackles LaAdrian Waddle, Cole Croston, Andrew Jelks, Ulrick John and Matt Tobin on their 90-man roster. Marcus Cannon is expected to stay at right tackle.
