Chargers are quickly learning why the Patriots gave up on first-rounder so easily

It was only a few years ago when Bill Belichick made one of, if not the worst, first-round draft picks in the Patriots' history when he decided to ignore any and all pre-draft evaluations and take offensive lineman Cole Strange with the 29th overall pick.

Although the Patriots needed help on the offensive line, there were far better players on the board who would've helped their roster more than Strange could, and that led to a viral clip of Rams head coach Sean McVay laughing when he heard who the Patriots picked.

That summed up Strange's tenure in New England, which only lasted three years until he was released during roster cuts last summer. He initially signed with the Browns' practice squad until he joined the Dolphins for the 2025 season, but then followed Mike McDaniel to the Chargers earlier this year.

Because of his familiarity with the former Dolphins coach, he received a two-year deal. He was considered an immediate starter at center, as we saw in the Chargers' Week 2 preseason game on Friday night against the 49ers.

Unfortunately for Strange, it looks like it might have been a performance worth forgetting and officially losing his starting role over, as that's the current chatter coming out of Los Angeles, which is a lesson the Patriots learned rather quickly.

The Chargers might already regret signing Cole Strange this offseason

Strange's history of going viral for all the wrong reasons has followed him into the 2026 season, with clips from his performance this past week circulating on social media and Chargers fans begging the coaching staff to bench him.

He clearly didn't perform like a starter, and that's only going to make his future in that role even tougher.

From what we've seen throughout his career, Strange has shown he can be a decent starter, as he was at times with the Patriots. But there's a reason he wasn't kept on the roster, even as a depth piece, last year, despite their glaring need for more depth across the line.

Because he has the versatility to play various positions, he's certainly an asset when emergencies happen. The problem is that his performance keeps getting more concerning, and it won't take long for the Chargers to realize he may not be the reliable player they hoped for or need.

It seems the Dolphins learned that quickly, as they kept him for only one season, and he started every game he took the field for.

Clearly, McDaniel believed in him enough to advocate for the Chargers to sign him, and his word carried a lot of weight. But Strange is holding up his end of the deal to prove him right, and it might be fair to assume that he won't last out in Los Angeles for much longer.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow