What Riley Reiff Contract Details Mean For Patriots’ O-Line Plan

You can confidently pencil Riley Reiff onto the Patriots’ 53-man roster for 2023.

The veteran offensive tackle on Wednesday signed a one-year, $5 million contract with New England. Of that $5 million, $4.15 million is fully guaranteed, according to multiple reports, making the 34-year-old a lock to make the team.

Reiff can earn the final $750,000 through per-game roster bonuses and up to an additional $4 million if he hits certain unspecified playing-time incentives.

The value and structure of that deal make Reiff the favorite to win one of the Patriots’ two starting tackle jobs. It’s unclear how New England plans to deploy him, as he and returning starter Trent Brown both have experience at right and left tackle.

Reiff started 10 games on the right side for the Chicago Bears this past season. Brown started 16 on the left after playing right tackle in 2021. Both players have battled injuries, with Reiff last playing a full season in 2015.

The Patriots also signed Calvin Anderson, re-signed Conor McDermott and tendered Yodny Cajuste, all of whom have more experience as backups than starters in their respective careers. New England will see what it has in 2022 seventh-round pick Andrew Stueber, too, after he missed his entire rookie year with an injury.

Though the top free agent tackles all have been signed by other clubs, the Patriots still could look to add a premium player to this group through the 2023 NFL Draft. Projected early-round prospects who could be in New England’s range include Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski, Ohio State’s Paris Johnson Jr., Georgia’s Broderick Jones, Oklahoma’s Anton Harrison and Tennessee’s Darnell Wright.

A trade that would shake up this group isn’t out of the question, either. Moving Brown would clear $11 million in salary cap space while leaving behind just $1.25 million in dead money.