Patriots Try Out Offensive Tackles After Abysmal Line Play Vs. Texans

The New England Patriots’ preseason opener Thursday night against the Houston Texans offered a glimpse at some of the team’s strengths and weaknesses.

And it revealed for everyone to see that New England’s offensive line is a clear work in progress.

Yes, the Patriots played backups at the line of scrimmage, so it’s no time to smash panic buttons, but the offensive line as a unit turned in a horrendous performance that was a clear lowlight in a 20-9 loss to the Texans at Gillette Stadium.

The O-line allowed three sacks while the Patriots attack under new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien mustered only 180 yards of total offense. New England’s ground game was putrid with a trio of backs averaging just 1.9 yards per carry.

Whether that performance forced the Patriots to look outside the organization for offensive line help or it was already on the schedule, New England had undrafted free agent offensive tackles Trevor Reid and Chim Okorafor in for tryouts Friday, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss.

Reid and Okorafor both initially signed with the Philadelphia Eagles after not getting selected in the 2023 NFL Draft before being waived.

Reid stands at 6-foot-4 and 297 pounds and served as a protector for Malik Cunningham, who had a standout showing in the preseason opener for the Patriots, at Louisville. Reid made 25 starts at left tackle for the Cardinals over the last two seasons and played in the East-West Shrine Bowl — several Patriots coaches were a part of the staff for that game.

Okorafor was an NAIA All-America selection this past season with little-known Benedictine. Okorafor certainly has the size to play the tackle position as the 24-year-old is listed at 6-foot-6 and 315 pounds.

Rookie tackle Sidy Sow, tackle Conor McDermott along with guards Kody Russey and Chasen Hines all had rough performances against the Texans, showing the Patriots don’t have much depth on the offensive line. Their starters at the positional group are banged up, too, with Cole Strange, Trent Brown and Mike Onwenu all nursing injuries.

The Patriots currently have no room on their 90-man roster, so a move would be need to be made to add either Reid or Okorafor.