When Michael Onwenu went down with a broken right ankle in Sunday’s win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Patriots lost more than their most dependable offensive lineman. They may also have seen the end of an era.
Onwenu, a respected holdover from the Bill Belichick years, has been one of the few constants through all the turnover in Foxboro. He’s in the final year of his contract, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if his run with the Patriots ends here. That makes the injury sting even more, because it hit a player who has quietly been one of the best at his job and one of the steadiest voices in the room.
It also leaves the Patriots with a real problem. Their guard depth was already thin, and losing their best, most consistent offensive lineman is a major blow. But the short-term pain comes with a longer view, and that’s where Will Campbell enters the picture.
This is exactly the kind of moment the Patriots had in mind when they made Campbell their top draft pick a year ago. If Onwenu was the veteran leader holding the line, Campbell is the next man expected to take on that kind of responsibility. He was taken fourth overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, and the organization clearly viewed him as more than just another young tackle.
The Patriots have long leaned on a trusted presence in the offensive line room. Matt Light filled that role first.
Then came Logan Mankins. Later in the Tom Brady era, David Andrews carried it, with Joe Thuney also part of that mix.
Those players brought toughness, earned trust, and helped define the standard.
Onwenu has been that kind of figure in his own quieter way. Now, with his future uncertain, Campbell looks like the player next in line.
Campbell has already shown why the Patriots were so high on him. He arrived with no questions about his toughness, physicality, or mindset.
At LSU, he wore the coveted No. 7 jersey as an offensive lineman, something usually reserved for star skill players like Patrick Peterson, Tyrann Mathieu, and Leonard Fournette. That alone told you something about the kind of player and personality the Patriots were betting on.
And through two games, he’s looked the part. The coaching staff and front office wanted him to be a foundational piece, and he’s already shown signs of becoming that. He was one of the team’s offseason award winners, and he’s clearly added size and strength while holding up better against power rushers.
Campbell also carries himself like a veteran, which matters in a room that now includes Alijah Vera-Tucker, Jared Wilson in his first season at center, and Morgan Moses, who is likely in his final year with the Patriots because of his age and contract status.
At 22, that’s a lot to ask. But the Patriots are asking plenty of their young quarterback too, and that’s the reality of the roster they’re building.
Campbell may never become an All-Pro left tackle, but if he keeps playing at this level the rest of the season, he could be a top-10 player at his position. That would be a major win on its own. Add in the leadership, the edge, and the grit, and the Patriots would have something even bigger: a true anchor.
Campbell himself made the point best when he said he’d be willing to die to protect Drake Maye.
He has been tested in the SEC, tested from Day 1 in the NFL, and tested again by criticism and doubt. He’s answered with accountability, humility, and resilience.
That’s why the Patriots took him fourth overall. Not just for the blindside protection.
For the standard. For the voice.
For the kind of player who can steady an entire unit and carry the message from the head coach to everyone else in the room.
In Other News...
Mike Vrabel Admitted One Patriots Mistake That Could Matter Later
For most of Sunday in Pittsburgh, the Patriots looked like the more organized team, and the scoreboard backed it up in a 20-3 win over the Steelers. The defense set the tone with four sacks and two turnovers, and it kept leaning on Aaron Rodgers with pressure from all angles, blitzing nearly half the time while helping New England control the game from start to finish.
Mike Vrabel still had one sequence he wished he could have back. He admitted the Patriots made a coaching mistake by using consecutive timeouts, which created a delay of game penalty and ended up helping set up Chris Boswell's 56-yard field goal. It did not change the outcome of the day, but it is the kind of detail a coach notices, especially in a game where New England was otherwise sharp enough to leave only a small opening for criticism. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Still Have One Special Teams Question Hanging Over Them
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Wishnowsky has now appeared in two games this season, and the move back to the practice squad leaves New England with a familiar question at a position that can quietly shape close games. The Patriots can keep cycling through options while Baringer remains unavailable, but the way they manage the punter spot in the coming weeks will say plenty about how stable they feel about the depth chart. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Suddenly Have Another AFC East Threat To Worry About
The AFC East has already been a tougher neighborhood than it looked a year ago, with Buffalo still setting the pace and the Patriots trying to keep their own 2025 resurgence moving in the right direction. Now there is at least one more team in the mix to make the division race feel crowded again, and it comes from a familiar place for New England. The early signs out of New York have been encouraging enough to suggest the Patriots cannot simply assume the path to the top will run through Buffalo alone.
Through the first two games of 2026, the Jets are 1-1 and showing a more balanced profile than they had in recent seasons. Geno Smith has been a stabilizing force on offense, and the overall improvement on both sides of the ball has given New York a chance to hang around in a division where small gains can matter a lot. For the Patriots, that means the margin for error in their push for the division and a playoff spot just got a little thinner. [Read more 🡒]