The Patriots had plenty to improve when the 2026 offseason began, with a few roster spots in dire shape. Because they seemed to have found their next franchise quarterback in Drake Maye, protecting him and surrounding him with the talent needed to succeed was key, and they did their best to do that this spring.
That meant adding another starting offensive lineman to their already solid group: signing guard Alijah Vera-Tucker as their next left guard. As a result, Jared Wilson moved to center, the position he played in college, and the rest of the group stayed the same.
For the most part, the right side of the line, anchored by Mike Onwenu and Morgan Moses, was the group's most reliable, given their league experience. But as we know, Onwenu left Week 2 with a broken ankle, forcing backups into his role, and Moses hasn't played up to his usual standard since.
The timing couldn't have been worse. The Patriots faced the toughest strength of schedule in the last 40 years, which meant they lined up against some of the league's fiercest defensive talent, and that won't change this weekend when Maxx Crosby and the Raiders come to town.
In fact, that might be the biggest problem the offense, and Maye, has faced all season, especially since he has lined up against opposing right tackles in 79% of the first four games.
Maxx Crosby might be an even bigger headache for the Patriots than we thought
Keeping Maye off the ground and giving him time to process the field before making a play has been a weakness for the Patriots' offense over the last two years. This has led to the quarterback being sacked 47 times in 2025, and he's already been taken down 10 times this year, mostly because of the right side of the line's inconsistency.
It has also contributed to the severe lack of an established run game, with TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson serving basically no purpose over the past month, which has severely hurt any real offensive progress, and might easily be the case again with Crosby exploiting the weakness of Ben Brown at right guard and Moses at right tackle.
Even worse, Maye might have to scramble more than he has, and he's already crossed 100 yards this season. Although it's certainly a benefit to have a quarterback who can move and extend plays, the offense should rely on it more than it has to.
Not to mention, having a threat like Crosby on the other side of the ball hunting them down makes it a position that no team wants to be their quarterback in, but if the struggles of the right side of the offensive line continue, we're likely going to see more of it than expected.
It's going to be a tall task for Moses to take on, and an immediate test for Brown, who is the third right guard to step in since Onwenu's injury, which isn't ideal.
And if they can't keep Crosby at bay for most of the game, it will be a bloodbath that will keep the Patriots from redeeming themselves after last season's Week 1 loss to the Raiders. No one wants that after a great win in Buffalo.
Yet if that's what happens and Moses continues to struggle, it might be time to consider whether he's dealing with an injury or if it's time to replace him at right tackle. Neither of which is ideal.
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