Mike Onwenu’s 2024 position will be determined in training camp
As the New England patriots open training camp, their offensive line combination is still being worked out. Figuring out what position Mike Onwenu will play will be a key part of answering that question.
As much talk as there’s been about the New England Patriots’ quarterback situation heading into training camp, the offensive line is as big of a question. There are a number of moving pieces up front from a group that ranked towards the bottom of the league in most major metrics last year, as well as a whole new offensive coaching staff putting things together.
During spring practices, the Patriots tried multiple configurations up front. That is likely to continue when training camp begins on Wednesday.
One of the players who was moving around in the spring was Mike Onwenu. The Patriots signed to a three-year, $57 million contract extension this spring. In terms of AAV, that makes him the second-highest-paid right tackle or fourth-highest-paid guard in football, depending on where he’s playing (numbers per OverTheCap.com).
Onwenu has split his first four seasons in New England almost evenly between the right tackle and right guard spots. It was reported after his signing that the plan was to keep him at tackle, where he finished the 2023 season, but injuries on the interior could change that. Onwenu played both right tackle and right guard this spring.
Ahead of the Patriots’ first practice on Wednesday, head coach Jerod Mayo was asked what the plan is for Onwenu to start the season. “I’ve had this conversation with [offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt]. I’ve also talked to Mike and the rest of those offensive linemen. We’re going to put the best five players out there on the field as an offensive line,” Mayo explained. “If that means you got to play guard or play tackle – we’ll see and it’ll play itself out in camp. But that’s my mindset. It’s about putting the best players on the field.”
With Cole Strange expected to miss the start of the season due to injury and the rest of the guard group relatively inexperienced (Michael Jordan is the only other guard with more than 10 career NFL starts under his belt) the Patriots may need Onwenu on the inside to get their ‘best five.’
What’s tough about figuring that out is the lack of true contact reps allowed in training camp. Preseason games will go a long way in determining the Patriots’ eventual offensive line, and that process could continue early into the regular season (as it did last year).
While Onwenu represents one of multiple moving pieces on the offensive line, one player that does seem locked into his spot right now is free agent tackle Chuks Okorafor. Mayo and EVP of player personnel Eliot Wolf have had Okorafor penciled in as the team’s starting left tackle since before the draft, despite the fact Okorafor was a right tackle for the last six years in Pittsburgh.
Asked for an update on Tuesday, Mayo told reporters that “right now, based on just the time he’s been in the league alone, he’s going to start there,” before adding “but once again, my mentality and our offensive mentality is to put the five best guys out there on the field. We’ll see how it plays out.”
Onwenu and Okorafor are just two of the many questions facing the Patriots’ offensive line heading into training camp. We went through all of the spot up for grabs last week, and you can read that here.
