Alright, you caught me. I’m officially worried about the 2019 Patriots left tackle situation. Last year, New England drafted Georgia OL Isaiah Wynn in the first round. With Nate Solder gone, we all assumed Wynn would be the LT of the future. Then, on the second day of the draft, they traded their third round pick to the 49ers for their RT, Trent Brown. Brown and Wynn were set to battle for the spot in the preseason, but Wynn’s rookie year was cut short by an Achilles injury. Brown went on to start all 16 games at LT for New England before the Raiders made him the highest paid OL in NFL history this offseason.
Obviously, coming back from an Achilles injury isn’t easy. It’s even more difficult if you’re a 300-lb OL whose job demands explosion from the lower body. So, there was concern regarding Wynn’s availability heading into this offseason. New England didn’t go out and sign a guaranteed starter right away in free agency. They didn’t even get a guy in the first month. Former Broncos OT Jared Veldheer fell into their lap. He started 12 games last season and started in 113 games since coming into the league. It was good insurance to have an experienced tackle, albeit probably past his prime at 32, just in case Wynn was slow to come back.
We’re only a few weeks removed from Veldheer’s signing, and he’s already retired. That leaves Wynn, Yodny Cajuste (a rookie OT who’s also recovering from injuries), and Cole Croston as replacements for LT on the roster. There are others on the roster as well, including Dan Skipper, Cedrick Lang, and Tyree St. Louis, but those are true “Doomsday” scenarios.
What will New England do if Wynn isn’t ready? It’s unlikely Cajuste will be ready for the start of the year (if he even plays at all). Croston is a career backup. I’d rather bring Gronk back to protect Brady’s blindside. RT Marcus Cannon could slide over, as he’s done before in emergency situations. I’d be more comfortable with Croston playing RT, but it’s FAR from ideal.
During the only OTA that’s been open to the media, the Patriots had LG Joe Thuney lining up at LT. Again, this isn’t a situation I’m comfortable with. Thuney came into his own last year to be a solid starting LG. I’m not sure I want to mess that up in his potential last year in New England.
They have to look for a free agent or for a trade.
Free Agent Options
Donald Penn
Penn spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. There he appeared in all 112 possible games, starting in 108 of them. In 2010, Penn was named to his first Pro Bowl. During an offseason that saw the death of owner Malcolm Glazer, and the firings of GM Mark Dominik and HC Greg Schiano, Penn was cut alongside veteran CB Darrelle Revis to begin a shift in the organization as new HC Lovie Smith and GM Jason Licht moved towards keeping “their” guys.
Since then, Penn has spent the last five years in Oakland. He was the LT in Oakland, starting 62 of 64 games there before 2018 and was named to two more Pro Bowls during that time. Last season, the Raiders selected Kolton Miller to be the long-term solution at LT with Penn at 35 years old. He moved to RT last season but suffered a groin injury that put him on the IR after four games. Penn was cut this offseason after Oakland signed former Patriots OT Trent Brown.
Penn may be a lot older than the rest of the offensive line, but he has experience. And, prior to last year, he had the health. New England isn’t necessarily looking for a guy who can be a long-term fit or even a top-level starter. Here they’re looking for an experienced plug-and-play type guy. If healthy, Penn could be that.
Jermey Parnell
Parnell is another aging veteran with experience. He spent his first four seasons in Dallas as a rotational swing tackle on their stacked O-Line. The last four seasons have been spent in Jacksonville as the starting RT. With the Jaguars, Parnell started in every game he appeared in. With a new QB and Parnell turning 33 in July, the Jags decided to move on from their RT and save a few bucks ($5 million). They then drafted Jawaan Taylor in the second round to replace Parnell.
Do I believe Parnell is a great option for New England? No. He hasn’t been a career LT (the harder of the two OT spots), and he’s obviously an older guy. However, if the Patriots are looking for insurance, Parnell for some cheap money wouldn’t be terrible.
Chris Clark
Are we noticing a trend here? Clark is another OT in his mid-30s who’s been mainly a rotational piece in his career. He’s never gone into a situation with the expectations of being a starter. During his time in Denver, he found himself starting after Ryan Clady suffered an injury. Clark replaced Derek Newton in 2016 during his injury. Last year, Clark wasn’t even signed until September when the Panthers had to deal with injuries to both Matt Kalil and Daryl Williams.
So, this seems to be Chris Clark’s thing. He’s seen some time, but he’s always been injury insurance. He’s another option but not a great one.
Trade Options
Halapoulivaati Vaitai
Vaitai has spent most of his time in Philadelphia as a backup. However, over the last few years, we’ve gotten to know his name when he filled in for Lane Johnson and Jason Peters on both sides of the line. He was even in there for the Super Bowl victory over New England, so Dante Scarnecchia should be familiar with him.
The 25-year-old is on the last year of his rookie deal, and the Eagles just spent a first round pick on a tackle in this year’s draft (Andre Dillard). This may lead to the Eagles wanting to try and get something in return from the OT before he leaves in free agency. At the same time, with an aging Lane Johnson at RT, it may make sense to keep Vaitai around for the future.
With all that being said, this is all dependent on how Wynn looks coming back into camp. Even if he’s not ready they’ll probably just do some moving around inside their own locker room, but I won’t be comfortable with it. Having Thuney move to LT and the rookie Froholdt slide in at LG would make me (and Tom Brady) very nervous. I guess we just wait and cross our fingers that Isaiah Wynn can step up and protect the 42-year-old QB’s backside.