The 2024 New England Patriots were a last-place team. Many of its headaches can be attributed to their failure to man their offensive line in the offseason adequately. They mistakenly thought two right tackles could play on the left side. Unfortunately, neither could even play on the right. It was a disaster.
Similarly, their attempts to add a center to replace David Andrews and left guard were dismal failures. The result was 52 sacks on Patriots quarterbacks. To compound the matter, they neglected the development of their young running quarterback, Drake Maye, until the season was effectively over.
The result was another fired coach and a de facto demoted personnel head. Enter true NFL professional, Mike Vrabel, and everything has changed. Vrabel is not only a top NFL Head Coach, as evidenced by his winning the 2021 "Coach of the Year" Award, but he is also a masterful personnel manager. He'll make all the difference.
The Patriots' offensive line is flagged as its biggest question mark
Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport has written about "One Question Every NFL Team Must Answer During the 2025 Preseason". He hits the nail on the head when he suggests questions about the Patriots' offensive line are paramount.
"There are a pair of new starting tackles in veteran Morgan Moses and rookie first-rounder Will Campbell. The right guard spot appears settled as well, with Michael Onwenu entrenched as the starter. The starters at center and left guard remain uncertain, though. But Moses told reporters that he’s confident the Pats will settle on a front five who will do a far better job than last year’s turnstile of a unit:
"'We’re not going to dwell on the past. It’s a new year. We've got an unbelievably talented room. We’re growing every day. Football is won in the trenches. When it’s 4th-and-one-, and two-minute drills, you count on the offensive line and D-line to go out there and eat. We look forward to the battle. It’s our job to keep our star quarterback upright, and we’re going to do those things.' Rookie third-rounder Jared Wilson has impressed in camp, so much so that he’s viewed by some as the front-runner to start at one of the spots.
Free-agent addition Garrett Bradbury is the favorite to win the center job, but former first-rounder Cole Strange and Ben Brown (who started 10 games last year) could make this a competition that lasts well into the preseason."
Davenport's analysis is sound both globally and at ground level. The offensive line is the key determinant after the quarterback of every NFL team's success. You can't win anything without a quarterback, and you won't win anything big without a solid offensive line. It is what it is: NFL reality. And yes, the Patriots' O-line is still questionable.
Mike Vrabel has invested big in his offensive line and it will show
New top guy, Mike Vrabel, knows full well that the NFL battles are won or lost up front, in the trenches. You ignore them or fail to adequately man them (hello Bill Belichick) at your peril. Vrabel added multiple players in both free agency and the draft to his offensive line.
As Davenport astutely points out, free agents Moses and Bradbury were brought in to start at right tackle and center, respectively. They most likely will. He is also spot on in citing Jared Wilson, a star in the making, as a probable starter at either left guard or center. Since there is no NFL-ready left guard, the likelihood is that he'll man the left guard slot alongside fellow star rookie left tackle Will Campbell.
Two rookie starters would be a somewhat unusual situation, but Vrabel knows his business, and both have the talent and valuable SEC experience to rely on to step right in. Both will start fine, but there are growing pains for any rookie in the NFL. But after a few games, expect that the best tackle in the 2025 NFL draft, Will Campbell, and Wilson will be solid NFL starters and more.
Vrabel didn't spare resources in any aspect of player acquisition on his offensive line. He splashed the cash in free agency, invested three picks in the draft, and signed additional options in undrafted free agency. The result will be a hugely upgraded O-line and far better protection for his Pro Bowl or better young quarterback, Drake Maye. The O-line isn't a finished product by any means, but compared to 2024's old Chevy sedan, it's a 2025 Rolls-Royce.