Patriots offseason preview: Improving at offensive tackle will be a top priority

Jan 27, 2023 - 12:00 PM

Four teams are left standing in the NFL playoffs, but the New England Patriots are not among them. Finishing the regular season with an 8-9 record, they failed to qualify for the tournament and are already on to the offseason.

It projects to be an interesting one for the team. On the one hand, it is coming off a disappointing year that saw especially the offense fall short of its expectations — a fact that has already led to some changes on the coaching staff. On the other hand, however, the Patriots are among the league leaders in offseason resources and already have plenty of young building-block-type players under contract.

With all that in mind, let’s break down where the Patriots stand at this point in time by looking at each position individually. Today, we continue things at tight end.

Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | Offensive tackle | Interior offensive line | Interior defensive line | Defensive edge | Off-the-ball linebacker | Cornerback | Safety | Special teams

Final 2022 depth chart

Trent Brown: Brown saw his role change significantly in 2022 and under new offensive line coach Matt Patricia. Instead of playing on the right side, he was moved to left tackle. Lining up next to rookie guard Cole Strange, he played his worst season as a Patriot and according to Pro Football Focus, Brown gave up a team-high 39 quarterback pressures including eight sacks. Nonetheless, he was a mostly reliable option at the position for much of the year and saw action in all 17 games.

Conor McDermott: McDermott began his 2022 season on the New York Jets practice squad, and ended it as the Patriots’ starting right tackle. He joined the team in late November, and went on to start the final six games of the season. Along the way, the former New England sixth-round draft pick gave up 11 pressures but no sacks.

Yodny Cajuste: Despite looking good in training camp, Cajuste was unable to a) turn into a reliable contributor, and b) stay healthy throughout the season. In total, he appeared in 10 games with three starts but also missed time with a thumb injury. Playing for a new contract, he would have been the next man up at right tackle but eventually ended the year as a backup.

Isaiah Wynn (IR): Playing on his fifth-year contract option, Wynn was moved from left to right tackle in 2022. The experiment did not pay dividends, as he struggled to perform at his usual level before a foot injury shut him down for the year. All in all, the former first-round draft pick appeared in nine games, starting seven, and surrendered four sacks and 13 additional pressures — all while never looking really comfortable at his new position.

Marcus Cannon (IR): The Patriots brought Cannon back into the fold in September, signing him to their practice squad. He eventually went on to start four games, but was moved to injured reserve in early November because of a concussion. The injury kept the 34-year-old out for the remainder of the year.

Andrew Stueber (NFI): A seventh-round pick by the Patriots back in May, Stueber did not see any game action as a rookie. He suffered a torn hamstring during the offseason, was placed on the non-football injury list, and never returned — at least to the 53-man roster: Stueber was given a chance to practice late in the season, but he was not activated.

Position assessment

This is probably the weakest spot on the team, and certainly the weakest on the offense. Trent Brown has an $12.3 million cap hit next year, but the Patriots can get out of almost all of that by moving on, and they should probably consider that. McDermott played admirably at the end of the season, and might have earned himself a contract here. His outlook as a starter is unclear, but it appears his best use would be a swing tackle and spot starter.

Free agents Isaiah Wynn, Yodny Cajuste, and Marcus Cannon should all be gone, and that just leaves you with Andrew Stueber, who the Patriots never saw this year. He has some intriguing physical tools, but he’s a big question mark.

It appears the Patriots need a full overhaul here. Drafting two players — one who can be an instant starter, and one project — would make sense, as would assessing the free agency and trade markets. Frankly, New England needs to consider all avenues to upgrade the position.

Protecting Mac Jones needs to be the top priority, and adding at least one solid tackle to the mix this spring makes that a much easier task.

Contract assessment

Heading into the 2023 offseason the Patriots currently have only two true offensive tackles under contract:

• Trent Brown: $12.25 million salary cap hit | Signed through 2023
• Andrew Stueber: $890,900 salary cap hit | Signed through 2025

The four other members of the group, meanwhile, are headed for free agency:

• Isaiah Wynn: Unrestricted free agent
• Conor McDermott: Unrestricted free agent
• Yodny Cajuste: Restricted free agent
• Marcus Cannon: Unrestricted free agent

Level of concern: Very high