The New England Patriots were thin enough along the interior of the offensive line that they went out and signed veteran Greg Van Roten in mid-August. The 36-year-old is now their starting right guard after Mike Onwenu was placed on season-ending injured reserve this week.
Even if Van Roten proves to be serviceable after a full week of prep with the starting unit, the Patriots are facing a dire situation.
The only reserve they know they can count on is Ben Brown, who doubles as the backup center and has been up and down with injuries himself since training camp. It was Brown’s preseason injury that prompted the Patriots to sign Van Roten in the first place.
New England could need to make a move to add depth at the position around the trade deadline, and Vrabel’s former team has one obvious target.
We’re not talking about the Tennessee Titans here — we’re talking about the Cleveland Browns.
Vrabel spent the 2024 season working with his childhood team as a coaching and personnel consultant. He spent the bulk of his time working with the Browns’ offensive linemen.
Browns guard Zak Zinter makes perfect sense for the Patriots as a potential trade deadline target
Zinter is currently the backup left guard for the Browns, but he was a career right guard for the Michigan Wolverines. Cleveland drafted Zinter in the third round of the 2024 draft, meaning he was a rookie when Vrabel was working with the team.
Zinter has been blocked from playing time with the Browns throughout his two-plus years. He struggled with a potential transition to tackle as a rookie in 2024 and settled in behind franchise player Joel Bitonio in 2025. The Browns were unsettled at right guard this summer, but Zinter mysteriously remained on the left side throughout training camp, backing up free agent addition Zion Johnson.
The 25-year-old had a solid preseason, though, and earned his way onto new head coach Todd Monken’s roster. Pro Football Focus gave Zinter an 84.8 pass-blocking grade for his two preseason appearances, which ranked second on the team overall.
A Zak Zinter trade shouldn't cost the Patriots much to pull off
In this hypothetical trade idea, it would make sense for the Patriots to part with one of their three 2027 sixth-round draft picks in exchange for Zinter.
New England would still have a full draft board, and the Browns would likely accept that compensation. Zinter entered camp firmly on the roster bubble and likely would have been waived had he not impressed this summer.
Cleveland is also pretty deep along the offensive line. The Browns’ three veteran starters — Tytus Howard, Elgton Jenkins, and Johnson — can and have played multiple positions throughout their NFL careers. Cleveland has a practice squad lineman, KT Leveston, who saw first-team reps in camp at right guard before being passed by Teven Jenkins and rookie Austin Barber.
Brown is a capable backup, and Caleb Lomu provides depth on the outside as the swing tackle, but an addition at guard almost feels like a must at this point.
NFL teams are never looking to give young offensive linemen away at the deadline, but Vrabel’s connection to Cleveland’s front office and Zinter’s odd trajectory with the Browns make a deal coming together seem logical.
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