The New England Patriots wasted little time patching the middle of their offensive line after injuries and attrition showed up in the preseason opener.
On Saturday, the team added interior linemen Darrian Dalcourt and Joe Michalski, moves Mike Vrabel had already hinted at before the 15th practice of training camp in Foxborough.
“Yep, I think we’re going to sign two guys this morning, and we’ll get those names out to you or jersey numbers or whatever, but hopefully they’ll be out there,” the head coach told reporters. “But they just showed up this morning.”
The need became obvious in Thursday night’s 13-13 tie with the Indianapolis Colts. Ben Brown, the Patriots’ proven interior backup, left after 18 snaps in his start at center. Later in the game at Gillette Stadium, Andrew Rupcich also went down after starting at left guard and playing 58 snaps.
With both absences now open-ended, New England turned to two fresh bodies to help stabilize the trench.
Dalcourt, 25, entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Alabama in 2024. A former national champion, he started 19 of his 39 games for the Crimson Tide, splitting work between center and guard.
Since then, he’s spent time on the practice squads of the Baltimore Ravens, Washington Commanders, Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns. He’s listed at 6-foot-3 and 320 pounds.
Michalski is also 25 and came into the NFL undrafted, out of Oklahoma State in 2025. At Oklahoma State, he started 35 of his 59 games and left as a two-time team captain, two-time All-Big 12 honorable mention and five-time Academic All-Big 12 selection. The 6-foot-5, 305-pound center spent his rookie regular season on the Denver Broncos’ practice squad before being released in January as the calendar turned to the playoffs.
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