The offensive line looked much improved ahead of the Patriots' Week 1 game vs. the Seahawks, with Alijah Vera-Tucker at left guard, allowing Jared Wilson to move to center, and two seasoned veterans, Mike Onwenu and Morgan Moses, holding down the right side.
Will Campbell faced a lot of pressure to bounce back from a frustratingly poor postseason performance last year, and so far, it's been so far, so good for the left tackle. That's become even more important over the past two weeks, with Onwenu breaking his ankle against the Steelers and his backup, Greg Van Roten, now placed on injured reserve.
That's far from ideal, since Onwenu and Moses have been performing at a high level, and now questions remain about who will get the start next. Worse still, Moses had the worst game of his Patriots career against the Jaguars last week, and some suggest he may be injured.
Whispers of a potential foot injury early in the game and Mike Vrabel's decision to pull him before it was over only made the hunch seem more valid.
The Patriots are in big trouble if their offensive line can't get it together
In the days since, top reporters have offered analysis on the Patriots after watching game tape, particularly ESPN's Mike Reiss, who noted that Moses appeared to injure his foot on the second play of the game, which significantly impacted his overall performance.
Nick Cattles, host of the Lock On Patriots podcast, further confirmed that Moses grabbed his left foot after Josh Hines-Allen beat him on a block.
The 36-year-old has been an anchor on the offensive line over the past year, and now that he could be sidelined, the offense is in bigger trouble than it has been so far. They're already relying on their top backups to fill starting roles, which isn't ideal and takes a huge hit to their depth.
So they'll have to invest in more help, either through free-agent signings or by trying to trade for a lineman another team will be willing to give up for some reason. It's highly unlikely they'll get anyone good, since tackles aren't usually traded, but it's worth a try given how needy the Patriots' offense is right now.
Drake Maye is struggling, partly because of inconsistent protection from the linemen he already had, and now that's a bigger problem unless they address it.
The assumption is that Ben Brown will step in at right guard, since he has played across the offensive line for the Patriots over the past few years, making his versatility incredibly valuable. But at the same time, that leaves them vulnerable if another injury happens, which could be a bigger disaster.
No matter what happens, the Patriots need to make a move, especially if they lose another starter, or the season is going to be even worse than it has been already.
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