Patriots Better Off With Chukwuma Okorafor Away From Team

The Patriots were dealt a surprising blow Saturday.

New England placed former starting left tackle Chukwuma Okorafor on the exempt/left squad list just one day before its home opener against the Seattle Seahawks. Why? Okorafor is reconsidering whether he still wants to play football, according to Karen Guregian of MassLive.

You don’t want that guy at left tackle, do you?

Okorafor was already a question mark, being benched for poor play in the season-opening win over the Cincinnati Bengals. The Patriots made the decision that Vederian Lowe — who missed the majority of the previous two weeks’ worth of practice — was a better option, so it’s unlikely they’ll really miss him beyond having some extra depth at tackle.

Caedan Wallace played in Week 1 and looks like he’s capable of stepping into the swing role. Zach Thomas and Demontrey Jacobs were picked up on waivers before the start of the season, and though we haven’t seen them on the field, they give New England five total options on the outside. It’s not like the Patriots are worried about the numbers.

Okorafor isn’t some terrible person for stepping away, either. If he doesn’t want to continue playing football, there’s no reason for him to keep going. The Patriots are better off without him because they’re no longer counting on a player whose heart clearly isn’t with it.

The NFL is a business, and it’s bad business to entrust Okorafor to play such a vital position if he can’t give it his all.