Patriots offseason preview: Offensive tackle investments are a necessity

New England needs to address its tackle depth this offseason.

While only two teams remain left standing in the NFL playoffs, the New England Patriots embark on a franchise-altering journey through the offseason.

In multiple aspects, they are very much starting from scratch. Parting ways with head coach and quasi-general manager Bill Belichick after 24 seasons, the rebuild is impacting all levels of the organization — from the coaching staff, to the personnel department, to the roster.

To start our offseason coverage, we will take a look at that latter part and analyze New England’s roster one position at a time. What is on the table coming off the 2023 season, what might be in store for 2024, and where the strengths and weaknesses lie. Today, the series continues at offensive tackle.

Position depth chart

Trent Brown (30 | void): When healthy and available, Brown was playing some solid football for the Patriots in 2023. However, a series of injuries limited him to just eight starts and impacted his effectiveness down the stretch. Add some apparent behind-the-scenes issues and you get a player who failed to live up to what the team hoped he would be — and, frankly, what it needed him to be — at the left tackle position.

Michael Onwenu (26 | UFA): Onwenu began the 2023 season at right guard, but with the right tackle position a revolving door the decision was made to move him out ahead of Week 7. He remained in that spot for the remainder of the season to help stabilize the operation on that side of the ball together with rookie guard Sidy Sow. The fourth-year man also showed once again that he can be a starter-caliber player at both tackle and guard.

Calvin Anderson (27 | signed through 2024): The Patriots had high hopes for Anderson when they signed him to a two-year contract in free agency, but a mystery illness derailed his first year in the system. He missed virtually the entire summer and was unable to hold onto the starting right tackle spot after his return ahead of the season opener. He was sent to injured reserve in early November — again due to an illness — and never returned, ending the year with just 154 between five in-game appearances.

Riley Reiff (35 | UFA): The other veteran right tackle added in free agency, Reiff was supposed to compete with Anderson for the starting position. However, that never happened. Not only did the 35-year-old struggle in training camp and at times was moved inside to guard, he also had two separate stints on injured reserver. In total, Reiff appeared in only one game.

Conor McDermott (31 | signed through 2024): McDermott appeared to be the odd man out at right tackle after he was sent to injured reserve ahead of the roster cutdown deadline. He eventually was released with an injury settlement, and by mid-October was back on the practice squad. McDermott eventually was elevated to the 53-man team one month later, and ended up starting five games at left tackle before a concussion effectively ended his season.

Vederian Lowe (24 | signed through 2025): Given the issues at right tackle, the Patriots swung a pair of trades ahead of the roster cutdown deadline. One of them involved acquiring Lowe from the Minnesota Vikings. He eventually ended up starting eight games, but was a weak spot basically whenever, and wherever, he was on the field.

Tyrone Wheatley Jr. (26 | ERFA): The other tackle prospect acquired via trade in late August, Wheatley Jr. had virtually no impact on the team. Outside of five special teams snaps he did not take the field and was eventually sent to injured reserve in mid-October. While he did return to practice, he never was reactivated and ended the year on the sidelines.

Andrew Stueber (24 | signed through 2024): Stueber spent his entire 2023 sophomore campaign on the practice squad. He was elevated to the game day roster on two occasions late in the year, but never actually got to see the field despite the struggles higher up on the depth chart.

Offseason preview

The Patriots’ tackle position in 2023 can best be summed up with one word: oof. The question now becomes what can be done in order to improve the situation moving forward, especially with a rookie quarterback potentially being added to the mix.

For New England, the outlook for 2024 starts at the list of free agents-to-be and two names in particular: Trent Brown and Michael Onwenu, the starters on the left and right side, respectively.

Both are about to enter the open market in mid-March, with Brown’s deal set to void and Onwenu’s to expire. Based on their proven experience as starters at premium positions and past level of play, retaining them would make sense from the team’s perspective. But, as with all things NFL business, there are layers upon layers to their individual situations.

For Brown, it’s about whether he and the team can agree on his value and reconcile the issues that appeared to arise during the 2023 season. For Onwenu, meanwhile, it’s about his positional outlook and whether he is being viewed as — and offered a competitive contract as — a guard or a tackle.

All things put into consideration, Onwenu should be a priority for the Patriots to retain. There are, however, questions about whether they will actually be able or willing to do that.

Regardless if the team does keep him and/or Brown, offensive tackle remains a priority position given the rest of the depth chart: neither are there any proven starter-level commodities, nor high-upside developmental options to be found. Maybe Vederian Lowe and Tyrone Wheatley Jr. can turn into those with more experience in the system, or Calvin Anderson rebounds from his challenging 2023 campaign, but betting on those things to happen is just asking for trouble.

Luckily for New England and its vast resources, there are quality options available both in free agency and the draft. Players such as Jonah Williams, Donovan Smith or restricted free agent Alaric Jackson might be on the team’s radar, something that is also true for rookie prospects such as the projected tops of this class, Joe Alt (Notre Dame) and Olu Fashanu (Penn State).

If the Patriots decide against or are unable to spend their first-round pick on a quarterback, a franchise left tackle prospect like Alt or Fashanu might make sense (possibly even over a generational wide receiver target like Marvin Harrison Jr. given the depth of the receiver group this year). But even in a different scenario, there will be plenty of high-caliber players available beyond Round 1: Jordan Morgan (Arizona), Tyler Guyton (Oklahoma), Patrick Paul (Houston), or Blake Fisher (Oklahoma) could all be on New England’s radar as well.

No matter what will happen with Trent Brown and Michael Onwenu, investments in the position are necessary both from a short- and a long-term perspective.