The Patriots spent the offseason reshaping an offensive line that gave up 21 sacks across four playoff games last season, and the headline moves came fast. Alijah Vera-Tucker arrived as the big free-agent addition, Jared Wilson is set to slide back to the center spot he played in college, and first-round pick Caleb Lomu was brought in after New England traded up.
But the most interesting preseason name might not be the first-rounder.
Lomu is expected to step into Vederian Lowe’s old swing-tackle role, and because of his athletic profile, he could also see work in the jumbo-package job Thayer Munford handled before he wasn’t re-signed. That makes Lomu a key piece of the puzzle, but the Patriots also used a sixth-round pick on a lineman who could force his way into the conversation.
Dametrious Crownover is the kind of prospect who can make noise in August. New England’s depth up front was solid a year ago, and the team is trying to keep it that way. Ben Brown remains the top interior backup after signing a two-year extension last season, while Marcus Bryant and Caedan Wallace are still around after combining for just 26 offensive snaps all season.
Crownover enters the mix as a real challenger for those reserve spots. The former Texas A&M tackle is 6-foot-7, will be 25 the weekend after the Patriots’ first game, and brings an 86-inch wingspan that jumps off the page. On measurables alone, he has the kind of frame that gets attention.
The question is whether the rest of his game can catch up. Last season was a rough one in the penalty department, with Crownover flagged 11 times in 13 games, including four penalties in Week 3 against Notre Dame. Still, the bigger body of work offers a reason for optimism: he had just six penalties from 2022-2024 and allowed only three sacks over his entire college career.
If Doug Marrone can clean up the flags, Crownover has the look of a lineman worth watching closely. He’ll be battling Bryant, Wallace and veteran James Hudson for a roster spot, while Sebastian Gutierrez and International Pathway Program lineman Lorenz Metz will also try to break through.
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Former Patriots WR Stefon Diggs Faces A Troubling New Legal Twist
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The filing also seeks to add a defamation claim after a social media post by Diggs, while Diggs continues to deny the accusations. For now, both lawsuits remain unresolved in court, leaving the former Patriots wideout dealing with a situation that is still very much in motion. [Read more 🡒]
Why This Little-Known Patriots Lineman Suddenly Matters In Munich
The Patriots trip to Munich in Week 10 will carry an extra layer for offensive tackle Lorenz Metz, whose path to the roster has been anything but ordinary. Born in Germany, Metz played college football at Cincinnati after spending time with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he has mostly lived on the fringe of NFL rosters as a practice squad player with limited preseason game action.
For New England, his presence on the trip adds a small but meaningful subplot to a game already drawing attention for its setting. Metz has spent years trying to carve out a place in the league, and now he heads to Germany with a chance to be part of one of the Patriots most unusual regular-season stages, even if his role remains the kind that can change quickly as the week unfolds. [Read more 🡒]