Glaring offensive issue can no longer be ignored by the Patriots this season

The Patriots' offensive line was the weakest part of their roster heading into the 2024 season, and it was the leading reason many believed it would be best to keep rookie quarterback Drake Maye on the bench until it was sorted out. That thought only intensified as Jacoby Brissett was battered on a weekly basis, and it was further proven to be an issue as linemen left the team or wound up injured.

Although the group has improved in some aspects in the weeks since Brissett was benched and Maye became the starter, they continue to be a leading hurdle that the offense cannot overcome, with the quarterback being the biggest victim of all.

That was the biggest problem in the Patriots game against the Dolphins on Sunday, as pre-snap penalties halted any sort of movement down the field throughout the game.

Starting left tackle Vederian Lowe was the main culprit, being hit with four penalties in the first half, three of which were for false starts. It's inexcusable at this point in the season (and, in general) and solidifies the Patriots need to look for upgrades for the remainder of the season.

The hole at left tackle can no longer be ignored, even with just five games left this season

It might be too late in the year to make any drastic changes to the roster, but something needs to be done the rest of the way because what we saw on Sunday is not acceptable.

Although the Patriots don't have any real alternative on the roster, they might need to look at the bare free agent class and see if anyone suitable can be more useful than who they have, the main prospect being David Bakhtiari. Given his injury history, he's not the ideal player to sign, but he has been a Pro Bowl starting left tackle for his entire career, most of which was protecting Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay.

Because he hasn't played yet this year, he's had an extended period of time to heal from his most recent injury, and if he's been training, he should be ready to go. It's worth a try at this point since they already missed out on other viable candidates in D.J. Humphries and Cam Robinson.

No matter what, solving the offensive line issue must be one of the main priorities in the upcoming offseason. It can no longer be pushed aside like it was earlier this year and hope that rookies or right tackles can somehow be the problem solver.

Drake Maye needs to be protected as the future of the franchise, so that should inevitably make the offensive line at the top of the priority list in 2025.

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