The Patriots are suddenly staring at a major hole on the right side of their offensive line after Mike Onwenu went down with an ankle injury in Sunday’s win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Onwenu, who has held down the right guard job since the Patriots drafted him in 2020, had to be carted off in Week 2. Reports say he broke his ankle, which would knock him out for the season. For a team already adjusting on the fly, that leaves New England sorting through its internal options fast.
“I don't think he'll be available here in the short term,” head coach Mike Vrabel said Monday. “So, I wouldn't anticipate him being out there here in the next few weeks. If that changes and it ends up being longer than that, then we will let you guys know.”
The most immediate answer was Cole Van Roten, who came in for Onwenu against Pittsburgh. The results were uneven. Pro Football Focus charged him with four pressures allowed, including one that led to Drake Maye getting hit hard on a missed block.
“I think he had a few plays that he'd like to have back, so would everybody,” Vrabel said. “But I thought he had some positive plays.
Again, to go through an entire game, there are going to be some good ones, some bad ones and some ones that we have to eliminate. So, I think that he stepped in there, was ready to go.”
Van Roten looks like the likeliest starter for now, and the Patriots do have a built-in reason to trust him. He’s a veteran and already has experience playing next to right tackle Morgan Moses, thanks to their time together with the New York Jets in 2021.
Behind him, the Patriots are weighing a familiar name in Ben Brown. Brown started for New England last season when Jerod Mayo was the head coach, opening at center after David Andrews went down.
He stayed with the team after that and was expected to fill more of a spot-starting role this year, but a knee injury in the preseason slowed everything down. He missed the opener against Seattle before making his debut this past week, and now he looks like the top interior backup behind Van Roten.
Another possibility is Caleb Lomu, the Patriots’ first-round rookie. He’s been floated as a guard option all summer, but so far he’s remained at tackle. Vrabel said the team has kept him focused there for now.
“Caleb has been trying to predominantly practice, be there, be ready to go playing tackle,” said Vrabel. “So, we have some guys that we could move in there, and Caleb would be one of the guys that could possibly do that. But again, we just have to make sure that we have the best five available, and then the other three guys that are versatile on game day.”
If the Patriots do kick Lomu inside, that would affect the swing tackle job, which Lomu was handling. Marcus Bryant, who is currently on IR, may end up being part of that equation if he returns after Week 4. Vrabel’s comments suggest the Patriots are still sorting out how all the pieces would fit if Lomu moves.
There are also two practice squad options in the mix. The Patriots just signed Wes Newman-Johnson, who replaced UDFA center Jacob Rizy on the practice squad and already has experience playing under Vrabel with the Tennessee Titans. He’s had short stretches as an NFL starter, including time with the Jets, but he would need to be elevated to the active roster on game day.
The other is Kyle Kubas, whom the Patriots claimed off waivers after the New York Giants cut him at roster deadline. He gives New England another interior option with some flexibility, and he also has history with Van Roten from their time together in New York. Kubas, 26, started three games as a rookie in 2024 - one at left guard and two at right guard - and he’d also need to be elevated to play.
For now, the Patriots have a handful of internal paths to consider. The bigger question is which combination gives them the best five up front while Onwenu recovers.
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