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New England Patriots should get key player back soon

By Lou Scataglia

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 24: David Andrews #60, Matthew Slater #18, and Devin McCourty #32 of the New England Patriots on the field before the game against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on October 24, 2021 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 24: David Andrews #60, Matthew Slater #18, and Devin McCourty #32 of the New England Patriots on the field before the game against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on October 24, 2021 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images) /
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The New England Patriots’ offensive line has been up and down this season, but it’s clear the unit is at its best when David Andrews is playing.  Andrews has missed a couple games for the Patriots this year, and a unit that is regarded as one of the best in the league looks totally lost without him.

This is especially true for Cole Strange, who has had a rough last couple weeks without Andrews being in the lineup.  Andrews returned to practice on Wednesday, and as the Patriots head into the bye week with a few days off, this gives the veteran center plenty of time to get back to full health after missing some time with a concussion, which has been one of the more prominent injuries this year.

Andrews was undrafted back in 2015 and has remained the anchor of the offensive line no matter who is playing.  The 30 year old in under contract through the 2024 season, and there’s no reason to believe that he won’t finish his career as a Patriot.

The Patriots’ offensive line was rather awful over the past couple weeks, but because of the team’s stout defense, the offense wasn’t needing to put up a ton of points.  To me, it’s both a great thing an a not so great thing that the line seems to be so reliant on Andrews.

You’d assume that the Patriots talent along the line could survive for a couple games without Andrews.  Trent Brown is a fine tackle, and Mike Onwenu is very good at what he does.  Even as a rookie, Cole Strange is a solid player.

The offensive line looks like a totally different unit when number 60 is out of the lineup, but it appears that the team could get him back after their bye week, which does come at a very good time.  Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe have both gotten plenty of action this year.

Both are also unproven quarterbacks and still have to prove their worth to be considered a franchise player.  Not having a quality offensive line to work with might be the worst thing a young quarterback could go through.

I don’t entirely blame Mac Jones for the offenses’ struggles this season.  Some of those struggles could be attributed to Andrews not being in the lineup.

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