The Patriots' offensive line struggled immensely in 2024. The team ranked 26th in sacks allowed per game (with 32nd being the worst) at 3.1, and their lines featured eleven different combinations. In 2025, fixing this issue was a major priority.
The team went out and drafted Will Campbell with the No. 4 pick, added Morgan Moses and Garrett Bradbury in free agency, and even re-signed Ben Brown, who played 667 snaps in '24. Jared Wilson and Marcus Bryant were selected later on.
Given the numerous additions, some players with notoriety will be pushed out. This is inevitable, but Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald projects the Patriots to cut ties with several notable players in his latest roster projection.
The Patriots have big decisions to make regarding their 2025 offensive line roster
Kyed expects the Patriots to keep their core group of linemen together for now: Campbell, Moses, Onwenu, Bradbury, and Wilson are all roster locks. 68th pick in 2024, Caedan Wallace, also makes the team but as a backup guard: a recent position change that he seems to have a level of comfort with. Already, we stand at six.
Next, Kyed reasons that Brown's play as a center last season is reason enough to keep him around as a backup. With Bradbury injured, he's been running with the first team, so that's understandable.
Despite a weak 2024, Demontrey Jacobs is the team's swing tackle, and seventh-round selection Marcus Bryant also sneaks onto the roster as a "developmental option" at tackle. That brings the total to nine.
One of the easier cuts could be a controversial lineman that has fans divided
This seems a reasonable projection, but three players don't make the cut who are especially notable. The first is left tackle Vederian Lowe, who has played nearly 1,300 snaps for the team over the last two years. Have those snaps been great? No. Far from it, actually: he was penalized 13 times this year and allowed five sacks.
Despite his disappointing performances, it would be inaccurate to say he hasn't had his moments. Lowe had a reasonable 66.9 PFF pass blocking grade for the season. He recorded five games with a 73.5 grade or better in the category, and even posted a 90.5 pass blocking grade in Week 5.
Is he great? No. A capable swing tackle? Certainly. He has experience playing both tackle spots and is much better than Jacobs, who PFF ranked the 137th tackle in football this past year (out of 140).
There is good reason to believe that Cole Strange is on his way out of New England
A second player missing out on the interior is former first-round pick Cole Strange. The former UT-Chattanooga player was recovering from an injury for the bulk of this season, and he played just two games, both as a center.
A 79.0 pass blocking grade this year is solid, but his 40.4 run blocking grade is horrendous. Losing the backup center job to Ben Brown is a huge blow, especially considering Jared Wilson's flexibility to play both center and guard at a high level, paired with Bradbury's eventual return. With no loyalty to Strange as a first-round selection, Vrabel won't have any issue letting him walk.
2024 fourth-round selection Layden Robinson also misses out on this year's roster, according to Kyed. The former Texas A&M Aggie is in a difficult spot. He played extensively last season and showed precious little. In 602 snaps, he was the 129th-ranked guard (out of 136) according to PFF.
Unlike Wallace, who has upside for a position change, Robinson has less positional flexibility, especially with the numerous candidates at center already. It hurts to burn another draft pick, but Wallace and Marcus Bryant may be more worthy developmental players than Robinson.
Lowe, Strange, and Robinson have had extensive opportunities and have shown very little; there's no doubt about that. Nonetheless, the competition for backup roles on the inside is far stiffer than on the outside. While Strange and Robinson may not be up to par, Lowe is the third-best tackle on the team. Should Campbell or Moses go down, Lowe could fill in with little effort. While he hasn't been incredible, he's a more sure thing than Jacobs and a player I'd keep.
The Patriots' offensive line will look very different from it did a year ago, and it will certainly make for a spectacle. Given the number of additions, some bigger names will be pushed out, and these three will be some to keep an eye on.