Patriots Mailbag: One more until they count
It’s time for the final Patriots Mailbag of the preseason! Here’s what fans are wondering heading into the final exhibition game.
Saturday is the final real off day of the summer for the New England Patriots. They held their final training camp practice of the year on Friday, and now travel to play the Washington Commanders in the preseason finale on Sunday.
With an eye towards the regular season – and beyond – let’s answer some fan questions in the final 98.5 The Sports Hub Patriots Mailbag of the summer.
Can he? Yes – in the sense that I wouldn’t expect him to look out of place or be a liability there.
Is it the best use of his talent? No. He’s going to be the most effective on the interior, where he can use his power in a phone booth rather than out in space. He’s the closest the Patriots have to a ‘blue chip’ offensive lineman, but only if he’s playing guard.
So what should the Patriots do with Mike Onwenu? I go back to the old Dante Scarnecchia philosophy of finding the ‘best five’ up front. It’s possible the ‘best five’ of this Patriots team is with Onwenu at tackle, when you consider three or four of their top offensive linemen play primarily on the interior (Onwenu, David Andrews, Layden Robinson, and Sidy Sow). Moving Onwenu outside allows them to get all four of those players on the field together.
Will that group click though? It would have been great if the Patriots spent more time getting a solid answer on that. We’ll see how much they play in the game on Sunday, but the unit would still go into the regular season an unknown.
To the original question – should Onwenu be playing tackle? If it makes the offensive line better, then yes. My guess would be the group is better with him at guard, but it’s at least worth taking some time to explore the possibility, given how limited their options are with their current roster.
I don’t hate the idea of trying Cole Strange at center. Between Mike Onwenu (assuming he stays at guard long term), Sidy Sow, and Layden Robinson, it feels like the Patriots should have at least two solid NFL starters at guard. That leaves them without a place in the lineup for Strange, although he would be a high-end backup.
At center, Strange wouldn’t be as undersized. Plus, the team does need a long-term plan at the position. David Andrews just signed a contract extension so it seems like he at least plans on playing through 2025. He’ll be 33 at the end of that season though, so nothing is guaranteed beyond that. If Strange can pick up the position, he’d save the Patriots from needing to add a starting-caliber lineman in the next year or two, and given his lack of playing time overall the past few years likely wouldn’t be too expensive to re-sign.
On the topic of Strange changing positions, I know people sometimes ask about him playing tackle as well. That seems like it would be a tougher transition. For one, Strange would again be undersized for his position. Plus, at least in the immediate future, they’d be asking a player coming off of a serious, serious knee injury to play a position he’s never played before that in this offense requires mobility. The focus at tackle should still be through the draft.
I’ll answer the second part first, since I think it’s pretty clear how I feel about the Patriots’ tackle position. They simply didn’t do enough to address it in the offseason. The team had the lowest pass block win rate in the NFL last year, and one of the lowest in the last decade. Their two best tackles (particularly on the left side) were Trent Brown and Conor McDermott, both of whom are now on new teams. To replace them the Patriots added two career right tackles – one who was cut by a Steelers team that turned around and used a first-round pick at the position, and another who is a rookie.
Given some of their other needs and the lack of tackle talent around the league the Patriots weren’t going to be able to just go out and add a lockdown starter at the position with a snap of their fingers. This offseason was always going to be the first year of a multi-year plan, and the cornerstone tackle wasn’t in the cards for some justifiable reasons. But the lack of urgency in even adding a bridge player was noticeable.
As for the biggest position of strength? I’ll go with the defensive line, even without Christian Barmore. Davon Godchaux and Deatrich Wise are still quality starters, Keion White seems poised for a big Year 2 jump, they’ll be getting Daniel Ekuale back after he missed most of last year due to injury, and guys like Jeremiah Pharms and Trysten Hill have emerged as potential rotational contributors as well.
I know I’m probably in the minority here, but I’m going to go with D.K. Metcalf. It’s close between him and Brandon Aiyuk, with Tee Higgins a clear third.
To me, Metcalf is the prototypical big, outside ‘X’ receiver the Patriots have been missing. His downfield ball skills would be a solid complement Drake Maye’s biggest strengths, and he’s proven he can be the focus point of a top NFL offense, while having coverage dictated his way.
That’s not to say I wouldn’t take Aiyuk. But in addition to liking Metcalf’s fit better, the Patriots probably missed the boat there. He’s most likely going to get a new contract (with or without a trade) and not be available by the time the Patriots are making this move next offseason. But, with so much wide receiver talent currently in the NFL, that doesn’t/shouldn’t close the door on the team adding that top pass catcher they’ve been pursuing.
Biggest draft steal for the Patriots, or for the league? For the Patriots, I’m sticking with Jaheim Bell. If he and the Patriots can figure things out – which could take time and may be a multi-season thing – he has the upside to be a real playmaker for them.
The biggest steal of the NFL draft to me was Xavier Worthy to the Chiefs. I know he’s a first-round pick and they’re not typically ‘steals,’ but to land him the way they did – a lopsided trade with one of the biggest contenders in their conference who they’ve owned for a few years now – and the timing of the move is still unreal to me. Couldn’t draw it up any more perfect for Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and Co. there.
As for the offensive lineman you’re referencing, I’m not quite sure who that is. Layden Robinson? He was a solid pick, but early on Day 3 was about the right spot for him.
