With so many problems emanating from their offensive line this season, the Patriots have had to do weekly shuffles of their starting lineup to accommodate players' strengths and weaknesses, mainly as many have dealt with varying injuries at one time or another. It became even more crucial when David Andrews went down with a season-ending injury, and Drake Maye was put under center, moving the success of the group atop the list of importance.
That has forced the coaching staff to have many players play out of their given positions while also testing out several players on the practice squad to find the best fit. They have seemed to find a solid grouping lately, especially at center, but the left side has been the most problematic all year.
Fortunately, starting left guard Cole Strange returned to practice this week after recovering from an injury he suffered last December. The 21-day window for him to be back on the field for game day officially began, which couldn't have come at a better time.
While that's great news, Jerod Mayo's first comments regarding Strange's return are concerning. He revealed on Wednesday that they might test him out at center despite Ben Brown impressively filling in for Andrews.
“He does have the flexibility to play center and play guard. He’s been getting extra work at center. Dave Andrews has done a good job with him as well — going back to a guy that, he’s on (injured reserve) for the year, but just his leadership remains in the building. One of those tasks has been to help Cole understand the center position while he wasn’t able to be on the practice field.”
More shuffling on the offensive line is the last thing the offense needs right now, so it doesn't help that offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt also appears on board with this decision.
Moving Cole Strange upon his return to the offensive line doesn't make a lot of sense
After hearing Mayo discuss the possibility of Strange being used at center once he returns, Van Pelt doubled-down on that idea while speaking to reporters on Thursday morning.
While it would have been a great move if Strange had been playing since Week 1, it doesn't make a lot of sense coming into Week 12 when the Patriots have found a more than suitable backup in Ben Brown, and he's actually been one of the better-performing linemen since he was signed to the team last month.
Alex Van Pelt says Cole Strange will get work at both guard spots and center in the coming weeks as the Patriots decide where to play him.
— Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) November 21, 2024
There's no reason to consider using Strange at center when Brown is holding down that role, and the left side of the offensive line is where the most concerns are. It was just two weeks ago that the coaches were considering having right guard Mike Onwenu play left guard/tackle because of it, so why wouldn't Strange be the starting left guard immediately?
It seems like a useless effort that could have been explored during the preseason when they were looking for suitable backups for Andrews, but it doesn't need to be experimented with halfway through the season when it's not a position of concern anymore.
Hopefully, it won't become the latest questionable decision by the coaching staff.