Important Patriots Reminder Regarding Biggest Unsolved Need
It just needs to be better on the blindside.
Simple, right?
The Patriots didn’t get a chance to legally tamper with Ronnie Stanley before the veteran left tackle re-signed with the Ravens. Tough. New England also sat back instead of trading a draft-heavy haul for Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil, who the Commanders reportedly acquired from the Texans. The Patriots need to hit on their premier picks so it’s no surprise Tunsil isn’t headed to Foxboro, Mass.
Would it have been nice if the Patriots added either of those high-profile protectors? Obviously. But it feels like an important reminder needs to be delivered some 24 hours into the legal tampering period: The Patriots just need to improve at left tackle.
There are players available who fall somewhere between the worst-case scenario (Patriots 2024 starter Vederian Lowe) and the best (Stanley/Tunsil).
Cam Robinson fits that billing.
Robinson, who entered the offseason as the second-best offensive tackle behind Stanley, is on the open market. No, he’s not perfect. Yes, he might come with an overpay. But he’ll provide average to above-average play in front of Drake Maye. The former first-round pick has seven seasons of left tackle experience. He’d be, at the very least, a serviceable week-to-week starter.
Patriots fans wouldn’t curse their television sets like last season when Lowe got blown by on the edge week after week.
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Jedrick Wills, who worked with Mike Vrabel in Cleveland last season, and DJ Humphries also would be upgrades over Lowe. Are either long-term locks? Probably not. But at this point in the offseason, those talents aren’t available. Sometimes they never become available.
For the Patriots, it should be simple: Just improve at left tackle. Regardless of that comes with a short-term overpay. Regardless of whether or not the signee will become a Pro Bowler under offensive line coach Doug Marrone. Just improve. And then keep improving and double down in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Early into the legal tampering period, though, the next course of action is simple.