The New England Patriots have plenty to feel good about on offense, but one issue sits above the rest: the offensive line.
That group was shaky at times last season, and the problems showed up most clearly in the playoffs. New England did get a pair of rookies, Will Campbell and Jared Wilson, into the starting lineup, and both should be in position to take a step forward after a full offseason of development.
Wilson also moves to center, which is his natural spot. Mike Onwenu returns as well, and he has been one of the steadiest pieces of his Patriots career.
Still, the real unease comes from the right side, where Morgan Moses and Alijah Vera-Tucker are penciled in as starters.
Moses will be 35 this season, and he’s clearly in the back end of his career. He gave New England a healthy year last season, but the older he gets, the more the injury risk rises.
If something were to happen to him, the Patriots would likely turn to their 2026 first-round pick, Caleb Lomu, unless Onwenu slid out to tackle and someone else filled the right guard spot. Lomu is an intriguing prospect, but the better path would be letting him learn behind Moses for a year before throwing him into the lineup.
The bigger concern is Vera-Tucker. Through his first five seasons, he has appeared in just 43 games.
He played 16 as a rookie in 2021, then seven in 2022 after tearing his triceps, and five in 2023 after suffering a ruptured Achilles. Both of those injuries, as it happens, came against the Denver Broncos.
He did bounce back in 2024 and played 15 games, but his 2025 season ended before it even began when he tore his triceps again in a practice ahead of Week 1. When he’s on the field, Vera-Tucker has been a solid guard.
The problem has always been getting him there and keeping him there. New England may be able to help change that, but the injury history is impossible to ignore.
If Vera-Tucker goes down, Ben Brown would be the next man up. Patriots fans know him well enough already; he started 10 games in 2024 and four more in 2025 when Jared Wilson was out. That would be a concern, but not nearly as much as the idea of Lomu being forced into the lineup.
Even with those questions, the Patriots’ offense is not short on upgrades. The biggest one came via trade for star wide receiver A.
J. Brown, giving New England the true No. 1 target fans have wanted for years - if only they had drafted Brown in 2019 instead of N'Keal Harry.
The team also added Romeo Doubs to the receiver room and used a third-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft on Notre Dame tight end Eli Raridon.
There was also a DeAndre Hopkins visit on the first day of practice as a coach. If New England officially adds him to the staff, it could give the offense another boost.
In Other News...
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For New England, the episode is another reminder of how quickly Brown can turn a passing topic into an ugly distraction. It also comes with a heavier backdrop, since he is already dealing with a separate criminal case tied to an altercation after a celebrity boxing match in Miami, where he is accused of firing shots at a man and remains under house arrest while awaiting trial. [Read more 🡒]
Josh McDaniels Could Push Patriots Toward A Familiar Quarterback Reunion
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Jimmy Garoppolo fits that conversation for obvious reasons, from his history with the organization to his familiarity with McDaniels system. He also appears to be staying in the league rather than walking away, which keeps the door open on a reunion that would make plenty of sense for a team looking to stabilize the backup spot without forcing a rookie-heavy room into a bigger role than it should have to handle. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Rookie Tight End Suddenly Looks Like A Real Factor
Eli Raridon has been one of the more interesting developments in Patriots camp, where the rookie tight end has started to look less like a developmental piece and more like a legitimate part of the offense. With Julian Hill out for the season, Raridon has moved into the backup role behind Hunter Henry and has been getting regular work in practice, including multiple catches in team drills as New England sorts out its tight end depth.
Mike Vrabel has noticed the progress, but also the learning curve that comes with a first NFL camp. Raridon is still adjusting to the speed of the game, and the real test will come once the pads come on, but the early signs suggest the Patriots may have found a player who can handle a meaningful role in 11 and 12 personnel and maybe grow into something more than just insurance behind Henry. [Read more 🡒]