Rookie Patriots Week 3 debut draws concerns about offensive fit

The Patriots' offensive line was a known weak spot going into the 2024 season, despite the free agent and rookie additions made earlier in the year. The new regime made some effort to improve the unit, but it was clear early on that it wasn't enough to be a sustainable group for the entire year.

That became apparent during the preseason and even during the team's Week 1 win over the Bengals. The game led to starting left take Chukwuma Okorafor being benched after just 12 snaps and being replaced by Vederian Lowe, who didn't perform greatly during the 2023 season.

After Lowe suffered an injury against the Seahawks in Week 2, rookie Caedan Wallace, who played right tackle during his college career, got his first NFL start. There was a lot of buzz surrounding the former Penn State Nittany Lion upon being drafted, even with the knowledge that the Patriots were hoping to have him switch positions.

It was something that didn't work very well in the past, with Trent Brown being the latest example, but the Patriots were insistent on keeping the tradition alive, just like they did with Okorafor.

Whether that set up Wallace to not have a great NFL debut on Thursday night is hard to say, but his struggles were apparent against the Jets, leaving little optimism about the possible improvement of the offensive line for the rest of the season.

Caedan Wallace has a lot of potential, but that wasn't seen much against the Jets on TNF

The offensive line has been a liability since the season began, and they looked to hit rock bottom against what should have been a beatable Jets team. The group performed so poorly that even one of their best players, Mike Onwenu, didn't look as impressive as he typically does, likely due to him being forced to play right tackle instead of guard.

The left side of the offensive line has been and continues to be the weakest, and unfortunately, Wallace wasn't the help that most were hoping for in the Thursday night matchup.

Despite his flashes of athleticism in the game, he was credited with 0.5 sacks and three pressures to receive a grade of 42.3 from PFF. Wallace was also penalized twice, one of which was declined, and the other took back a great play by tight end Austin Hooper for 21 yards and a first down late in the third quarter.

It was a disappointing debut for Wallace and raised some concerns, but it was his first NFL game, and the offensive line group, even the most tenured players, are not playing well.

Unfortunately, nothing can be done other than crossing fingers they'll improve as the season progresses. Starting offensive linemen don't grow on trees and are, therefore, rarely available for trade or signing in free agency, especially in the middle of a season.

More Patriots news and analysis: