New England is going to spend September through January lamenting something that didn’t happen in March and April.
The Patriots had to know they were drafting a quarterback and still didn’t adequately address their offensive line issues. The problems on display in their final preseason game are unlikely to go away.
In Sunday’s loss to the Commanders, the line’s struggles led to an injury of unknown severity to Jacoby Brissett and left rookie Drake Maye under pressure.
None of this is a surprise. Upgrading the offensive line was on every expert’s offseason to-do list for the Patriots. Not doing so is a pretty inexcusable tactical mistake. Nobody would have balked if New England added free-agents while also committing early draft picks to the line in hopes that within the quantity they’d find quality.
Instead, they did neither. Maybe third-round pick Caeden Wallace will eventually become a trusted starter at tackle, but there is a reason many draft experts thought he’d play guard and was a reach where they picked him. He was a pretty obvious risk for a team that needs reliability.
For years, New England identified overlooked line prospects and took for granted that Dante Scarnecchia would polish them into gems. But now they don’t have Scarnecchia and they don’t have a credible offensive line.
That could set the whole franchise back and maybe even make this a wasted year. Not just in the standings, but in everyone else’s development.
Maye looked good on Sunday. Behind competent blocking, it would be tempting to turn him loose and make the future into the present with him as the starting quarterback. But especially after watching Mac Jones unspool because of mistakes made around him, the idea of damaging Maye early and derailing his development should scare them.
Patriots former All-Pro turned broadcaster Devin McCourty said as much from the NBC Sunday Night Football desk.
“I think what happened with Mac Jones is still fresh in people’s minds in New England,” he said. “‘If we put him out there early and it doesn’t go well with the pieces we really want around him. Will this ruin his career?’ I think they’re thinking about it. They won’t talk about it, but it has to be fresh in their mind.”
And it should be.
Sunday shone a light on all the reasons the line was under scrutiny.
The Patriots were playing against a Commanders team that was not only abysmal last year, but their few good players sat out on Sunday night. Most of the players beating the Patriots blockers will be looking for practice squad of CFL jobs next week.
Plus, most teams don’t do any real game-planning during the preseason and they certainly don’t show much that would give future opponents anything to prepare for. And still, the New England quarterbacks, playing behind projected O-line regulars, were under pressure. There were eight flags thrown against the Patriots offensive in the first half alone including a formation penalty that negated a touchdown.
Center David Andrews didn’t play which likely contributed to some of the issues and most of the bad snaps. And while he might play all 17 games this year, he’s 32 with a lot of wear on his tires. It’s not crazy to think he could miss some time and the drop-off behind him is scary.
Vederian Lowe was out too with an oblique injury and it’s bad when a team is eagerly awaiting the return of Vederian Lowe.
But that’s the state of things for the Patriots, who’ll turn their eyes to cutdown day, hoping another team might have a surplus. They’ll eagerly watch the waiver wire, crossing their fingers that somebody else’s cast-off could help patch a pretty big hole. Those kinds of desperate prayers are rarely answered.
Last week Eliot Wolf said he’s “excited” by this offensive line group. Right now he’s the only one.
Follow MassLive sports columnist Matt Vautour on Twitter at @MattVautour424.
