Patriots make pair of signings to bolster offensive line
By Jerry Trotta
Entering the offseason, the New England Patriots were widely expected to overhaul their defensive front seven and pass-catching arsenal.
What virtually nobody expected, however, was the Patriots making it a point of emphasis to renovate their offensive line as much as they have.
From re-signing center David Andrews, letting guard Joe Thuney test the open market, re-acquiring tackle Trent Brown via trade and trading away veteran tackle Marcus Cannon, the Patriots offensive line really underwent a facelift this offseason.
Despite those flurry of moves, New England evidently wasn’t satisfied with the depth (or lack thereof) it flaunted up front.
According to reports, the Patriots just made a pair of signings to further strengthen that part of the roster.
First up was the re-signing of versatile lineman James Ferentz, who’s served as a rotational piece along the Patriots’ offensive line since 2018.
With Phase 2 of the voluntary offseason program beginning today, this is a time for teams to bolster depth charts as they transition to on-field work with coaches present.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) May 17, 2021
Along those lines, the Patriots have been eyeing interior OL help, and C/G James Ferentz is back with club.
The Patriots continued to bolster their offensive line with a pair of signings.
Given the physicality of the NFL, you can never have too much offensive line depth, and the Patriots ensuring they have enough reinforcements in case of injuries further proves they’re one of the best run organizations in the league.
Ferentz, the son of polarizing Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz, has been with New England for the last three seasons. During that span, he’s appeared in 24 games (four starts). The seven-year pro has been a rotational piece throughout his career and fans should expect him to fulfill a similar role with the Pats in 2021.
Elsewhere, the Patriots also agreed to terms with interior lineman Alex Redmond, who’s clearly the more intriguing signing. A former UCLA standout who went undrafted back in 2016, Redmond spent the first five years of his career with the Bengals.
The 26-year-old appeared in 32 games for Cincinnati during that span, starting 24 of them, including making an impressive 15 starts back in 2018 and seven last season. In other words, Redmond will offer incredible value off the Patriots’ bench next season.
In addition to James Ferentz back with the Patriots, the club is also signing free-agent interior OL Alex Redmond, per his agent @MRHoffy.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) May 17, 2021
Redmond worked out for the team last week, was prepping for a workout with another club, but Patriots stepped up to keep him in town.
So, what do these moves mean for the rest of the OL?
Well, with the Patriots’ staters on the interior already set — Shaq Mason at right guard, Andrews at center and Michael Onwenu at left guard — something tells us Redmond and Ferentz will be first up in the replacement pecking order if one of them went down with an injury.
Considering that Onwenu figures to be the first candidate to fill in at tackle (he can play both positions), if one of Brown or Isaiah Wynn — both of whom have extensive injury histories — get injured, there’s more than one way for Redmond and Ferentz to carve out roles.
Don’t look now, but the Pats quietly have one of the deepest OL units in the NFL.
