The draft is getting lots of attention as the April 24th draft creeps closer. All eyes will be on the first picks in the draft, and, for Patriots Nation, what their team does with its valuable No. 4 pick overall. In Mike Vrabel's hands, whatever is done will be made with sound judgment and professionalism.
When the 2025 offseason began with Varbel in command, expectations were sky high for a total change in both on- and off-field activities. He hasn't disappointed. One area that needed massive upgrades was the dismal offensive line.
Vrabel has quietly and professionally made three under-the-radar additions to his offensive line, all likely upgrades over 2024's players. The key objective of any offseason is improving your team. Vrabel aced his O-line moves to date.
But it's still imperative to bolster the left tackle position dramatically in the draft, a neglect that ruined the 2024 Patriots season.
3 Patriots offensive line additions that are sneaky good
Morgan Moses, right tackle
The Patriots' right tackle position in 2024 was a mess. No one took command of the position, and the performance was predictably awful. Vrabel knew he needed a quick fix, and in free agency, he got a solid one in Morgan Moses. To add the cherry on top, he relieved this solid player from division rivals, the New York Jets.
The eleven-year veteran played in 14 games for the Jets in 2024. He'll immediately settle the position for a year or two until a long-term solution can be installed. Meanwhile, Drake Maye will benefit from the big, 6'6". 318-pound tackle's, experience, and talent.
Pro Football Focus gave Moses solid grades in both pass and run blocking in 2024. While he's on the downside of his career, he's still a solid transitional player you can win with. Not every player on an NFL team can be a Pro Bowler or an All-Pro. You can't afford it. Good players like Moses are big adds whenever you can land one, and he's a solid upgrade over last season's right tackles.
Wes Schweitzer, left guard
A second O-lineman signed by Vrabel is also an experienced veteran, this time at guard. Wes Schweitzer should be penciled in as the starting right guard to play opposite Mike Onwenu (if he's not traded). No one stepped up among several players at left guard in 2024.
Schweitzer is a 6'4", 300-pound eight-year NFL veteran. While he's rather injury-prone and only played in 17 games the past three seasons, if healthy, he should upgrade a position that was dismal last season. Again, Schweitzer is no be-all-and-end-all at left guard for Vrabel's Patriots, but he could be a temporary fix.
If Schweitzer can stay on the field (a big "if"), he almost has to be an upgrade over last year's crew. Again, like Moses, he won't set the world on fire or make the Pro Bowl. But if he plays, he'll be an improvement over his 2024 predecessors. At worst, he'll push the others to be better. Of the three veterans signed, he's the least likely to make a significant impact due to his injury history.
Garrett Bradbury, center
The final veteran presence who will upgrade the Patriots' O-line is six-year veteran Minnesota Viking, 6'3", 300-pound center Garrett Bradbury. He started all six of his seasons in Minnesota. Last season, after David Andrews went out with an injury, the position wilted without experienced centers on hand.
Now, with Andrews being released, Bradbury should step right in and provide a steadying hand and rock-solid ability as a pivot starter. One of New England's most pressing issues in 2024 was having almost no veteran presence on the O-line except Onwenu after Andrews went down.
This year, Bradbury provides a trench-qualified veteran center. He'll be immensely valuable to second-year quarterback Drake Maye, who didn't have that necessary steadying force in the middle last year. Bradbury will call the blocking assignments, and his experience on a winning team like Minnesota will be vital in getting the Patriots' offense on track. It's a solid signing.
Make no mistake about it: these are professional moves by a true pro, Mike Vrabel. None measures a seven on the Richter scale of NFL signings or are among the Pats' best, and Schweitzer is a significant injury risk. Yet, coupled with a top quarterback, solid receivers, and left tackle(s) taken in the draft, all three, if healthy, can help transform the Patriots' offense.