From shoddy right tackle play to David Andrews' concussion to Cole Strange's recent string of benchings, the New England Patriots' offensive line has dealt with myriad issues this season.
But for once, Trent Brown's durability has not been one of them.
After missing five games in 2019, 11 in 2020 and eight in 2021, the super-sized left tackle has played not just every game so far this season, but every snap -- all 572 of them. Brown and right guard Mike Onwenu are the Patriots' only remaining ironmen on either side of the ball as they enter their Week 10 bye.
Brown's performance thus far has been far from perfect. He's had some issues in pass protection -- most notably when he allowed a sack and a strip-sack in a Week 1 loss to Miami -- and recently racked up four penalties in a Week 7 defeat against Chicago, with three of those coming in the first quarter. But overall, he's given the Patriots much steadier play on the left side than they've had on the right, and his availability has been highly valuable given their lack of depth at his position.
Asked Monday whether changes to his routine or simple injury luck have allowed him to stay on the field more consistently this season, Brown replied: "I think it's a little bit of both."
"I did focus on lifting and diet more this offseason just so I could be more available and help me to play all 17 (games) and hopefully more," Brown said in a video conference one day after the Patriots' 26-3 win over the Indianapolis Colts. "And then I also told myself I know my team needs me, but I've got to be out there for me, as well. I hate missing time because I know the type of impact I can have when I'm available. So I just try to make sure I'm available."
Brown started every game for the Patriots during the 2018 Super Bowl run, then spent two injury-riddled seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders before returning to New England in spring 2021. He wound up contributing for only half of last season, as he injured his calf early in the Patriots' opener and did not return until Week 10.
So far this season, Brown has been able to avoid those health-related pitfalls. He already has surpassed his 2021 snap total and has yet to appear on the Patriots' injury report. His offseason tweaks, he said, "most definitely" have helped him from a conditioning standpoint.
"It's good to have everybody out there," head coach Bill Belichick said last week. "As many guys as possible to have out there always helps. That's how they get better and that's how you build continuity and consistency. It's being on the field, practice reps, building your fundamentals with team consistency and play. It's a lot different than the first half of last year, for sure."
Some advanced metrics also suggest Brown is routinely facing tougher matchups than his peers. Consider this chart shared last week by Pro Football Focus's Timo Riske, which indicated Brown had a significantly higher "difficult of assignment" than any other NFL tackle through eight games and was performing above expectation:
Fixing their offensive line, which struggled mightily in consecutive wins over the New York Jets and Colts, needs to be a bye-week priority for the Patriots. But they'd be in a much worse spot without Brown contributing the way he has.
