Patriots get more than enough proof to acquire better David Andrews replacement

When David Andrews left the Patriots' Week 4 game with a shoulder injury and was almost immediately ruled out, it was clear the longtime starter had suffered something severe. Given their questionable offensive line, this was not the news the offense needed, and it only worsened when it was announced Andrews would have to undergo season-ending surgery.

Besides the expected dropoff a team would have to deal with by losing a starter at any position, losing the best offensive lineman and longtime captain took a massive hit on the Patriots' offense, which was already dealing with a long list of injuries and struggling performances.

It led them to start their fifth offensive line group against the Dolphins on Sunday, shifting players to different positions than last week and bumping backup center Nick Leverett into Andrews' place. It was the only option they had, and based on his preseason performance, it didn't provide much promise.

According to early stats from PFF, things didn't look much better for Leverett on Sunday, as he allowed the most pressures of any lineman.

Given how poorly the group has played this season, this was one of their better days other than Leverett. It certainly drew attention to looking to improve the position before the season progresses much further, and there might be some worthy options to consider.

The Patriots might want to look at free agent centers to better help their offensive line

It's never easy to find starting-quality offensive linemen available to sign outside of the first surge of signings at the start of free agency in March, making the task a lot more difficult for the Patriots to deal with. However, it might be their only option if Leverett doesn't improve quickly.

Only a handful of centers are still unsigned as Week 5 nears its end, and the top names aren't ideal. One option is Brian Allen, who spent the offseason with the Browns until he suffered an injury during training camp that led to his release. The latest update on his status claims he "appears to be healthy and is attempting to catch on with a team in need of depth at center."

He isn't the perfect player, but he has been given a 73.04 grade from PFF in his career as a run blocker and a 65.58 grade for his pass blocking while allowing ten sacks in five years. That could be enough of an upgrade to make a more solid unit, if not at least provide the needed depth at the position.

Another option would be J.C. Hassenauer, who spent the 2023 offseason with the Giants until he was placed on injured reserve in August due to a torn tricep. He spent a few weeks this past summer with the Commanders and is still looking for a new team to play for, making him a cheap acquisition if the Patriots were interested.

Hassenauer is more inexperienced than Allen, having only accrued three seasons in his NFL career, but still has a 62.4 career run-blocking grade and a 62.66 pass-blocking grade from PFF. It's far from being the immediate boost the Patriots need, but could be enough, like Allen, to help the roster.

It'll be interesting to see if the Patriots pursue any free agents at this point since they didn't seem all that interested in doing so for other weakened positions before this game.

It might not be at the top of their list, but it is increasingly clear that they need to explore what's out there to, at the very least, add depth to their more vulnerable positions.

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