It has been several years since the Patriots have had a formidable offensive line, due in part to players being traded, released, or signing elsewhere, or draft picks not living up to the potential the coaching staff envisioned when they were selected. This offseason, however, it looks like the team has plenty of talent for the group, with a lot of competition expected over the next several weeks.
The belief is that rookie Will Campbell will be the starting left tackle moving forward, along with veteran Mike Onwenu at right guard and Morgan Moses at right tackle. Every other position is up for grabs, and there is already a battle heating up to become the next left guard starter.
It's an unexpected development that has emerged over the last two weeks during training camp between rookie Jared Wilson, who was selected in the fourth round out of Georgia as a center, and second-year player Caedan Wallace, whom the previous regime had hoped to move to left tackle.
While it might be a good thing to have more viable starting candidates, it also means that Mike Vrabel and Co. have a tough decision to make before the season begins.
Two starting level linemen have emerged for the Patriots since the start of training camp
Because longtime starting center David Andrews retired earlier this offseason, the Patriots needed to find his replacement in the draft. They presumably accomplished that with the selection of Wilson, only for him to be spending more time at left guard than center.
He continues to impress the coaching staff and his teammates, with Wallace raving about how good he has been after Wednesday's practice. But that might still put the team in a tough spot when it comes to finding a center if Wilson is expected to play guard instead.
“Jared is really, really (expletive) good. I love asking him questions. He always has a different perspective. For a rookie, he’s just really good. The way he moves. The way he protects in the pass game and the way he gets off the ball in the run game. It’s admirable.”
The rookie is already being labeled a starter on the offensive line, no matter where he is told to line up. He may be at left guard come Week 1, but he has direct competition with Wallace, who played right tackle during his college days. Jerod Mayo hoped he could move to the left side, which he appears to be still doing, but this time at guard, which he emphasized he is enjoying so far.
“I actually like guard – a lot. It’s different, and different is always fun for me. I’m learning new stuff every day. It’s really fun, it’s really, really fun. I like hitting people, and at tackle, you have to think a little more. At guard, you can kind of fire off and get your face in stuff more.
Just competing. They said they wanted to put me in the best position to compete. They felt that would be left guard, so I’m just grinding.”
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This might add some trouble for the coaching staff when deciding who should be the starter, even if it is an excellent sign that they could have two potential players in the mix. It could also allow them to move Wilson to center, where he has spent most of his playing career, especially since that role is far from decided at this point.
He might be the right guy for the job, given his experience and how well he is already transitioning in the NFL, and that might be the best-case scenario given the depth they appear to have at multiple positions.
Regardless, it's an interesting problem for the Patriots to have.