Despite it being a major need, the Patriots opted not to address their left tackle spot in NFL free agency.
The New England Patriots had the need and the appropriate funds to make a splash at left tackle in free agency, but they did not do so. With their top target, Ronnie Stanley, opting to re-sign in Baltimore, the cupboard was left bare from their perspective.
And so, the only offensive tackle signed in March was veteran Morgan Moses, who projects as New England’s starting right tackle in 2025. The other side of the line, meanwhile, remains a major question mark.
As head coach Mike Vrabel pointed out, though, the Patriots still have plenty of options to answer that question between now and the start of the season.
“The plan is to continue to evaluate our roster and see who is there that we can continue to try to work there,” he said during the AFC coach’s breakfast at the NFL meetings in Palm Springs on Monday.
“We’re going to bring the players in on April 7. I think that Caedan [Wallace] is certainly going to get an opportunity there as the roster is currently constructed and Vederian [Lowe] is going to be coming back; he had a little procedure. I think the draft is going to be a good option for us. There’s a lot of guys in the draft that we like at a lot of different levels. I’m confident between now and the time that the season starts that we’re going to have something that we believe in and a plan that’s going to help us.”
The Patriots initially made two investments last offseason to address their left tackle spot. However, free agency signing Chukwuma Okorafor lasted only one quarter before getting benched and eventually leaving the team. Third-round draft pick Caedan Wallace started one game at the position, but spent most of his time working on the right side like he has during his college career at Penn State.
As a result, third-year man Vederian Lowe, a trade acquisition the previous August, ended up as New England’s primary blindside protector. Lowe started 13 games at the position and ended up playing 73.6 percent of offensive snaps.
While he proved himself the most reliable of the Patriots’ left tackle candidates in 2024, and remains with the team heading into 2025 as well, there is serious room for improvement. As Vrabel pointed out, the draft is the most obvious path to get there.
Top tackle prospects such as LSU’s Will Campbell, Ohio State’s Josh Simmons or Texas’ Kelvin Banks Jr. all project to be on New England’s radar. The same is true for Missouri’s Armand Membou, even though the latter line up exclusively at right tackle in college.
Then, there is the aforementioned Caedan Wallace. According to his head coach, he too will get an opportunity to prove himself at the position he was originally drafted to play.
“Caedan, they were trying to [develop him] from the XL tight end, and he was doing a nice job,” Vrabel said. “He was playing physical, doing a nice job, and then got injured, and by all accounts, worked extremely hard through that process to, one, get back, but also to train while he was out. So, looking forward to working with him.”
What is true for Wallace, Lowe and others competing for playing time along the offensive line and elsewhere on the roster is that Vrabel and the Patriots’ new coaching staff will not be holding 2024 against them. Instead, the focus is on the potential in what will be a new-look offense under coordinator Josh McDaniels.
“We’re only going to evaluate what we see going forward,” Vrabel said. “We don’t care how you got here. We just care what you do when you’re here. So, whatever they are coming in there, when we see them, we’ll evaluate them, we’ll work with them, and we’ll try to have a role or a vision for them.”