The Patriots bolstered their offensive line this Wednesday, signing veteran offensive tackle Riley Reiff.
Reiff, 34, is expected to compete for a starting job next season. The former first-round pick from Iowa has 149 career starts under his belt.
Over the past few years, Reiff has played for the Lions, Vikings, Bengals and Bears.
The consensus from the NFL world is this signing will allow the Patriots to approach Day 1 of the 2023 draft with a “take the best player available” mentality.
“Still don’t think this takes OT off the board for Patriots, but again: a starting-caliber player if he’s healthy,” Khari Thompson said.
“I think this just means patriots will go for the best player available at their position so I’d that T WR or CB they will get their guy instead of being forced to pick 1,” one fan tweeted.
Another fan wrote, “The first 2 rounds will be WR, TE, or DB focused.”
In addition to signing Reiff, the Patriots have reached an agreement with former Broncos offensive tackle Calvin Anderson.
Clearly, the Patriots have put an emphasis on improving their offensive line this offseason.