Patriots might set absurd NFL record in Sunday's matchup vs. 49ers

Among the concerns regarding the Patriots roster heading into the 2024 offseason was the state of their offensive line beyond their two best starters, David Andrews and Mike Onwenu. It was clear well before the 2023 season ended that left tackle Trent Brown was not going to re-sign with the team, even with Bill Belichick out of the picture, making the position one of the neediest of all to be addressed through free agency and/or the draft.

The new regime attempted to fix the issue by signing former Steeler Chukwuma Okorafor, a historically right tackle who would try out on the left side, similar to what Belichick did with Brown. They also selected two linemen in the draft, neither of whom was a left tackle.

It made the offensive line vulnerable once again and left fans scratching their heads about the new regime's desire to build a more equipped offense moving forward. Because the success of the entire group hinges on offensive line protection, it made no sense not to prioritize finding a starting-quality left tackle for the season.

The group has been a consistent issue through the first three games of the season and is expected to remain that way for the foreseeable future. Guys are playing out of position, mainly due to injuries, and the coaching staff has found it difficult to find the best lineup to breed the most success for Jacoby Brissett and the run game.

With a challenging game this Sunday, there was hope they might bring in one of the remaining free agents to dramatically improve the left side. Instead, it looks like the Patriots might be on pace to set an absurd record that no team would want to be anywhere near accomplishing.

The Patriots might set the record for having the most starting left tackles through two years on Sunday

With Okorafor still on the exempt/left list and Vederian Lowe and Caedan Wallace dealing with injuries that will likely keep them off the field on Sunday, the Patriots might be forced to have their fourth starting left tackle on the field to start the game.

They're expected to elevate Caleb Jones or Demontrey Jacobs from the practice squad to accommodate Lowe and Wallace's expected losses. This means the Patriots will have had 13 different starting left tackles since the 2022 season.

Whatever the record is for the most switches of starting left tackles through two seasons (or even longer) is, surely the Patriots have surpassed it.

Besides the immediate issue the constant change at left tackle poses for the remainder of the current season, the worst part about it is that the Patriots likely won't address the situation until next year's draft when they select their next starter with their first-round pick.

Although that's a solid idea and something many felt they should have done this year instead of taking a quarterback, it's a long time away from solving a problem that will continue to haunt them over the next few months, seemingly giving the offense little hope of improving by the end of the year.

It's an unfortunate reality that they have gotten the team into and is not easy to fix, since starting offensive tackles are not a dime a dozen.

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