Strange started the final two games of the 2024 season at his new position.
When the New England Patriots released longtime starter David Andrews earlier this month, they created a free-for-all at their center position. Former first-round draft pick Cole Strange, who moved from guard to center last season, will be among those competing to fill the vacant job.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel confirmed Strange’s positional outlook in a sit-down with reporters at the NFL meetings in Palm Springs.
“Cole’s worked hard at center the last couple weeks of the season. It was pretty impressive considering he hadn’t spent much time there,” Vrabel said at the AFC coach’s breakfast on Monday.
“He’ll work on the interior three, but I think you give him an opportunity to compete at center and build off of what he did at the end of last year.”
Strange originally joined the Patriots as the 29th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. The Chattanooga product started 27 games at left guard over his first two seasons before a torn patellar tendon disrupted his development.
While spending more than 12 months on the sidelines, Strange was approached by the Patriots’ new-look coaching staff in 2024 about starting to work at center. In Week 17, shortly after his return from the physically unable to perform list, he started his first of two games at the new position.
While the Patriots’ coaching staff has changed since then, the plan to continue developing Strange at center remains intact.
Whether or not he will end up winning the starting role in lieu of Andrews remains to be seen. Besides the 26-year-old, New England also has free agency signings Garrett Bradbury and Wes Schweitzer, 2024 part-time starter Ben Brown, and 2023 fourth-round draft pick Jake Andrews under contract at the position.
April 7 will be a starting point for the competition. The Patriots will start the voluntary portion of their offseason workout program that day.