Patriots stole a hidden gem on Raiders' practice squad to help the offense

Throughout the offseason, the state of the Patriots' offensive line remained the primary concern of the offense, especially knowing that rookie quarterback Drake Maye was eventually going to be given the start. Despite the new regime's efforts to add quality players to the roster, it didn't feel like they did enough to get the pieces they truly needed, particularly a left tackle.

Although there was a lot of promise for Caedan Wallace when he was drafted in the third round to take over that role, he was a rookie and played right tackle throughout his career, so he didn't provide much optimism to be great right away. The same feeling was had with Chukwuma Okorafor, as he played on the right side for the Steelers before signing with the Patriots in free agency.

It didn't help that starting left guard Cole Strange would not be ready to start the season due to an injury, leaving the offensive line even more vulnerable at the start of the year.

Once the season was underway, the group continued to be a liability, with Jacoby Brissett being hit a record amount and the offensive line leading the league in pressures. It made the decision to bench the veteran for Maye more nerve-wracking, especially since they had to start a different lineup every week.

However, a mid-season addition has proven to be more valuable than initially believed, and he has quickly become the best player on the line in just three games since joining the team.

Ben Brown has been a sneaky good addition to the Patriots offensive line

When David Andrews went down with a season-ending injury, there was a lot of pessimism about who the Patriots had available to replace him at center. The backups struggled a lot during the preseason, so the idea of them replacing a solid starter like Andrews was a bit jarring.

That was proven accurate when Nick Leverett was given the start the following week, which led to the Patriots cutting him and signing Ben Brown from the Raiders practice squad. It was far from ideal to put a player who spent most of his career on various team's practice squads immediately in as the starting center, but it's what the Patriots were forced to do.

Fortunately, they've been reaping the rewards since.

Brown has been stellar at the position in the three games he's been on the team, proving even further that the Patriots have a hidden gem, and he could be considered the savior of the season, even more so since he is now responsible for protecting Maye in every game.

It's shocking to see just how well the Patriots fared in this situation, given how crucial it is to have a solid center on the offensive line. It seemed like they were doomed after Andrews went down, as they have in the past, but Brown has been far better than expected and could become a long-term addition to the roster.

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