New England Patriots: Matt Light warns about replacing Nate Solder

The New England Patriots have a big question mark at left tackle heading into the season. Former left tackle, Matt Light, doesn’t think it will be easy to fill that void.

This offseason, the New England Patriots suffered a big blow to their offensive line when they lost Nate Solder in free agency to the New York Giants. With a desperate need to fix their offensive line, the Giants paid Solder a ton of money to leave New England.

With Solder leaving, the Patriots didn’t have a replacement ready to go after Antonio Garcia was unable to play last season due to blood clots in his lungs. Recently, the Patriots released Garcia taking him out of the running for the left tackle spot.

As of now, the two top options for the Patriots at left tackle are going to be Isaiah Wynn and Trent Brown. Recently, former Patriots left tackle Matt Light talked about the situation at the position. Here’s what he had to say via Zack Cox of NESN.com.

"“I’ve got a lot of confidence in (Scarnecchia’s) ability to prepare the guys that he thinks are the best to take the field,” Light said. “And maybe that means they’re going to be juggling a lot of guys in and out and trying to play multiple positions — getting them in the fire a little bit and see how they react. … “Dante had guys ready to go in and fill the void. But it’s a big void. It’s definitely something that we’re all going to be keeping an eye on. It’ll be interesting to see how they do it and how teams try to take advantage of maybe a younger player or a guy that doesn’t have as many snaps.”"

While the Patriots don’t have a slam dunk at left tackle as of now, they do have a couple of good options and one of the best offensive line coaches in the NFL. Without a lot of top picks on the offensive line, Dante Scarnecchia gets a lot out of the talent he is given.

Under Scarnecchia, the Patriots have generally had a very strong offensive line. With Brady not getting any younger, protecting him is very important, and protecting his blindside is crucial. As we head toward training camp, the Patriots might be mixing and matching a bit with what they have on the offensive line.

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Even though they don’t have a sure thing at left tackle, they do have options and a lot of depth now. Having talented depth can bring out the best in a player, and the Patriots will be hoping for that at left tackle next season.