The Patriots left Buffalo with a 29-26 win over Josh Allen and the Bills in Week 4, and Mike Vrabel made it clear afterward that New England is back in the AFC East conversation. But the biggest problem on offense still hasn’t gone away.
It starts on the right side of the line.
Ben Brown, who the Patriots extended in the offseason after the Raiders signed him to their practice squad in 2024, filled in well enough against Buffalo while starting for the injured Mike Onwenu and Greg Van Roten. He’s a backup-quality player, and that’s about what he showed. The bigger issue is that he’s only part of a unit that continues to underperform across the board.
New England allowed 21 pressures on Drake Maye, a career high for the quarterback. Brown’s partner on the right side, Morgan Moses, also isn’t giving the Patriots enough. The entire line has been a problem, and the right side is where the cracks feel easiest to attack.
That’s a tough place to be for a team that already knew offensive line overhaul was a priority after surrendering 47 regular-season and 21 postseason sacks in 2025. The Patriots didn’t do nearly enough in the 2026 offseason.
They brought back four starters from that group, with Jared Wilson shifting from left guard to center, and added Elijah Vera-Tucker at left guard. So far, Vera-Tucker hasn’t made a strong enough impact, and the run game still isn’t getting the push it needs.
The pass protection has been just as shaky, leaving Maye under constant duress. That’s a dangerous formula, especially after the Patriots learned in 2025 how costly it can be when Maye gets hurt in the postseason and the offense loses its chance at a Super Bowl run.
There is at least one possible answer on the roster. New England used a first-round pick on Utah left tackle Caleb Lomu in the 2026 draft, and he’s finally seeing more snaps, mostly as a tackle-eligible.
That’s not enough. He should be starting now, at minimum at right guard in place of Brown, and perhaps even at right tackle over Moses.
Lomu didn’t allow a sack in 2025 for the Utes, and his pass protection is his calling card. The NFL is a different stage than the Big 12 Conference, but the Patriots drafted him because he has the size and talent to help right away.
Long term, Lomu looks like the Patriots’ right tackle next season unless the team decides to move Will Campbell inside to guard. Buffalo’s Greg Rousseau gave Campbell fits, and there are still questions about whether Campbell can hold up at left tackle in the NFL.
If Campbell shifts inside, Lomu can slide into the lineup as a college left tackle. For now, though, the simplest fix is on the right side, where Lomu should be starting at guard.
The goal is obvious: protect Drake Maye. Whether the Patriots are willing to make the obvious move is another question.
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Patriots insider Tom E. Curran has been part of that conversation, weighing Chisms style and how it might fit if the team needs another dependable option inside. Chism has already invited the easy comparisons, too, with some seeing shades of Julian Edelman and noting his friendly relationship with the former Patriots star. The bigger question now is whether what Chism has flashed can keep translating once the workload and the expectations both start to rise. [Read more 🡒]
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Drake Maye Faces A Bigger Test As Patriots Hope Momentum Is Real
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The next chance to answer that comes against a Raiders defense preparing with full respect for what Maye can do. If he keeps building on the signs he showed last week, New England could start turning recent momentum into a genuine winning streak, which is exactly the sort of development this team has been waiting to see from its quarterback. [Read more 🡒]