Patriots’ Mike Onwenu ‘Comfortable’ With Another Potential Role Change
Could Onwenu move back to tackle?
Patriots offensive lineman Mike Onwenu hasn’t been too familiar with the word “comfortable” lately.
New England has moved the 26-year-old around quite a bit, starting him at both right tackle and right guard over the course of his first four seasons. The Patriots, though — in courting him this past offseason — made the decision that he would stick at tackle, perhaps allowing him the opportunity to build comfort at the spot where he made 11 consecutive starts to conclude the 2023 season.
“Throughout the whole process, we spoke about me playing tackle,” Onwenu said in April. “Even after I signed, that was still the same thing. So, under my notion, I’m playing right tackle.”
How has he looked at right tackle throughout camp?
He’s actually been playing guard!
Michael Scott said it best: “Snip-snap! Snip-snap! Snip-snap!”
The Patriots moved Onwenu back to right guard ahead of camp, seemingly feeling more comfortable having him lock down a spot on the interior than one on the outside. New England has cycled through numerous offensive line combinations, with Vederian Lowe, Caedan Wallace, Chukwuma Okorafor and Calvin Anderson serving as the primary options at tackle.
Okorafor and Anderson have each dealt with injuries, though, so Onwenu’s place at guard might not be set in stone. Does he feel comfortable possibly making the move back to tackle.
“It’s something I’ve done before, so I would just need to look back at my notes, practice and do all that,” Onwenu said Tuesday, per team-provided video. “I would be comfortable with it.”
New England is holding out on moving Onwenu once again, but it might not have a choice if problems persist entering the regular season.
