Patriots put a bandage on offensive line woes in latest proposed trade

One of the main concerns still surrounding the Patriots 2024 roster is the uncertainty regarding their offensive line. While the group only allowed three hits on the quarterbacks during the preseason, their countless penalties and inconsistent play explain some of the reasons behind Jerod Mayo's decision to have Jacoby Brissett remain the starter.

We saw solid potential from rookies Layden Robinson and Caedan Wallace, who could develop into the perfect players for the Patriots long-term, and the team added even more hopeful talent by claiming two tackles from the waiver wire who have more upside to them than not.

But they might still be in the boat of adding more depth to a weaker part of the roster, which is something Bleacher Report's Alex Kay suggested in a new trade proposal.

In a piece revolving around a trade each team in the league should explore before the 2024 season begins, the Patriots trade a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Bears for left tackle Larry Borom, a 25-year-old lineman with three years NFL experience.

Upon immediate review, it sounds like a fair trade and more of a low-risk, high-reward situation. And while that might remain the case, Borom doesn't appear to have the skillset needed to be a solution at left tackle for more than the season ahead, which isn't what the Patriots should be looking for.

A new trade proposal might make immediate sense, but not long-term for the Patriots

With so much young talent on the offensive line currently, there is hopefulness surrounding their growth and development to become the players that could become fixtures of the group for the Patriots for many seasons ahead.

On top of that, because the team is projected to have a losing season that would likely give them a top-10 pick in the 2025 Draft, the assumption is they will use whatever that pick might be on their next starting left tackle, especially since there are a few notable names expected to be part of the class.

Even if that's the case and the new regime still wants to address the situation now and in the immediate future, the trade for Borom fits the bill. He's young and has good size at 6'5" and 333 lbs., a factor the Patriots will be missing with Trent Brown now with the Bengals. Plus, he looks to be on the outs with the Bears, making him a prime trade candidate, according to Kay.

"After playing 92 percent of the offensive snaps in the 10 games he was available for as a rookie, Borom has fallen out of favor with the Bears in recent seasons. He was on the roster for 16 contests last year but only saw action on 39 percent of the snaps as a backup tackle.

Considering Borom doesn't appear to have a major role in 2024 due to the presence of third-round rookie Kiran Amegadjie—who recently came off the non-football injury list—he could be expendable for the right price."

Because of that, Kay believes it wouldn't cost too much for the Patriots to acquire the lineman, who believes a future sixth-rounder would do the trick and solve their depth issue right away by adding him to the roster.

"Borom shouldn't cost the Pats too much given his status on Chicago's roster bubble and recently suffered an ankle injury in the preseason finale. He's still an ideal short-term upgrade for a club with plenty of questions in the offensive trenches, especially one that can't afford to let its first-year signal-caller get battered."

It makes sense, in theory, and would be that way even more if Mayo can't figure out the rightful lineup to best protect the quarterback, even with the new additions.

However, putting a bandage on something as crucial as the production of the offensive line doesn't feel like the wisest of moves.