New England Patriots: Antonio Garcia could be an option at left tackle

The New England Patriots recently received some great news about tackle Antonio Garcia. Now, where will he fit in the future plans of the team?

Recently, the New England Patriots and Antonio Garcia received some fantastic news, as he was cleared to play football once again. Garcia was sidelined last season due to blood clots but was just recently cleared to resume his football career.

Garcia was one of the few picks by the Patriots in the NFL draft last season, but the young tackle has a lot of potential. Coming into the draft last offseason, the Patriots knew that they needed to think about their future at left tackle.

With Nate Solder’s contract ending after the 2017 season, the possibility of him leaving was certainly something that the Patriots had thought about. Shortly into free agency this offseason, Solder became a hot commodity at left tackle and his price tag went through the roof.

While Solder has been a good player for the Patriots as the protector of Tom Brady’s blindside, he was paid way above what he is truly worth by the New York Giants. Since the Giants had a desperate need to improve at left tackle, they were willing to pay Solder like an elite left tackle.

Even though losing Solder is tough for the Patriots, trying to match the contract that the Giants gave him was unrealistic. Now, the Patriots will be focusing on replacing Solder, and Garcia is certainly a possibility.

Since he has been cleared, there will still likely be a lot of hurdles to jump for Garcia on his way back. However, he was one of the top pass blocking tackles in last years draft class, and that fits nicely for him at left tackle in the NFL.

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While relying on Garcia only would be risky, he can certainly be a good option for the Patriots at left tackle next season. Hopefully, Garcia will continue to stay healthy and he could be a big help for the team in 2018.