Patriots Position Breakdown: O-Line Is All Questions, No Answers

Welcome to Patriots Position Breakdown, a 10-part series on NESN.com where we dive deep into each of New England’s position groups prior to the start of training camp.

It’s probably already annoying to most, but we’re all going to want to rip our ears off by mid-August as people continuously question the Patriots’ decision-making process on the offensive line.

We can’t not talk about it, though.

New England made a clear choice in free agency, using middling resources to address the problem at left tackle despite having an opportunity to make a splash. Tyrone Smith, Jonah Williams and Trent Brown (it was never happening) all looked like options on the open market, but the Patriots rolled the dice on Chukwuma Okorafor and third-round pick Caedan Wallace — who was, then wasn’t and now might make the switch from right tackle. Cole Strange’s injury was also revealed to be much more serious than many initially thought. Mike Onwenu then started playing guard in the spring.

It’s bedlam.

The Patriots aren’t making roster projections easy, but we’re going to do our best to summarize what is going on with the O-line.

Roster Overview

– Calvin Anderson
– David Andrews
– Jake Andrews
– Liam Fornadel
– Zuri Henry
– Michael Jordan
– Nick Leverett
– Vederian Lowe
– Atonio Mafi
– Chukwuma Okorafor
– Mike Onwenu
– Layden Robinson
– Sidy Sow
– Cole Strange
– Charles Turner III
– Caedan Wallace
– Tyrone Wheatley Jr.

Onwenu and David Andrews are part of the Patriots’ best five, but what’s up with the rest of the group?

Wallace will be there. Okorafor looks like the top option at left tackle. Sow is a plug-and-play guard, on both sides. Strange has a spot on the roster whenever he’s ready. It’s kind of a guessing game from there, though.

Okorafor, Sow, David Andrews, Onwenu and Wallace (from left to right) probably make up the best five early in camp, especially since Strange will be down. If he’s able to return at some point early in the year, he’d plug back in at left guard while Sow moves to the right side and Onwenu takes back over at right tackle. It’s tough to prognosticate any further than that, though, as we haven’t seen these guys with pads on.

It should become a lot clearer in the coming weeks.

Biggest Question(s)

– Is Caedan Wallace capable of making the switch?
Wallace is a good right tackle, but as we’ve seen time and time again, some players just can’t replicate the same level of success on both sides.

Wallace should at least be given a chance on the left side during the preseason, though. If he can’t play left tackle, the Patriots better make damn sure of it before giving up and finding a spot for him elsewhere.

— Nick Leverett or Layden Robinson?
The Patriots actually seem to be just fine on the interior, with David Andrews, Sow, Strange, Leverett, Robinson and Mafi all being capable of taking on a starting role. Leverett and Robinson are on the outside looking in and will compete with each other to be the top understudy.

Leverett looked great at points during the spring, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him earn more reps early in camp. We could see both earn starts during the season.

— How long will Cole Strange be sidelined?
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo isn’t making any promises when it comes to Strange, and that’s probably the right way to approach things. We just talked about the depth of the interior, so he should be given time to work back.

It sounds as though he could be a PUP candidate, as Mayo placed the “month-to-month” tag on him earlier this offseason.

Grade

– C+

If they can figure out left tackle, this grade could jump considerably. It just happens to be the most important position on the offensive line, so until we have answers, it plays a major role.