New England Patriots
Meet the Patriots’ newest offensive guard.
The Patriots reportedly added former Jets guard Alijah Vera-Tucker late Monday night after agreeing to terms with defensive Dre’Mont Jones and fullback Reggie Gilliam earlier in the day. Adam Hunger
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After allowing Drake Maye to be sacked for a grand total of 68 times between the regular-season and postseason, the Patriots made a move to strengthen their offensive line.
They added former Jets first-round pick Alijah Vera-Tucker, a versatile player who primarily spends time at the guard position.
New England is making changes on the interior. They traded starting center Garrett Bradbury to the Bears. Jared Wilson, who started at left guard as a rookie, has experience playing center in college, but it remains to be seen where the Patriots end up putting him. Mike Onwenu, the highest-paid player on New England’s offensive line, spent the bulk of his time at right guard last season.
At age 26, Vera Tucker provides a mix of experience and youth up front for the Patriots. He has started 43 games. He’s familiar with the AFC East. He’s been teammates with Morgan Moses before.
But, he has also had issues staying on the field. He missed all of last season with a triceps injury.
The Patriots are betting that he’ll be able to stay healthy in 2026 and beyond. Here are five things to know about the newest addition to New England’s offensive line.
He primarily plays right guard, and so does Mike Onwenu
Vera-Tucker has started at least one game at every position on the offensive line except center. He made the bulk of his starts (20) at right guard, but has also spent a similar amount of time (16 games) at left guard.
He also spent seven games filling in as a tackle, with six at right tackle and one at left tackle.
Onwenu, who has also moved around the line at times in the past, settled in at right guard last season.
Left guard seems like a position where the Patriots would have room to make changes. The Patriots had a pair of rookies (Wilson and Will Campbell) protecting Drake Maye’s blind side last season. Both players struggled in the playoffs. Sliding Vera-Tucker into the left guard spot would instantly give the Patriots more experience on the left side, along with upside if he can stay healthy.
His injury history makes him a bit of a gamble for New England
Vera-Tucker did not play a single game last season. He tore his Achilles’ in 2023 and had a separate season-ending triceps injury in 2022. He has missed 42 of the 85 possible Jets games since he was drafted in 2021.
The lack of availability has been an issue. He’s a talented player, but he has had a difficult road early on dealing with these injuries.
“It’s definitely a hard process to go through,” Vera-Tucker told reporters during his introductory press conference. “I feel like any athlete who has been through injuries understands that. It used to upset me because I’m playing at such a high level for my team balling out and everything, and then going down hurt, not being able to play on the field with my team and my brothers.
“It’s just something I’ve had to learn to deal with, but in the future I’m feeling really confident in myself, really confident in this team and this training staff to get me through multiple seasons here.”
Morgan Moses helped convince him to choose the Patriots
Morgan Moses, the Patriots’ starting right tackle, spent a brief stint with the Jets where he was a teammate of Vera-Tucker’s.
Moses, who signed with the Patriots in free agency last year, helped the team make a positive impression on Vera-Tucker as he weighed his options during free agency.
“I would say it definitely played a factor, just Morgan being the type of guy that he is. I knew I could trust his opinion on this place,” Vera-Tucker said. “So, after talking to him for a while, it definitely played a factor into me coming here.”
The Patriots’ playoff run didn’t hurt, either. Mike Vrabel’s coaching staff was also seen as a plus.
“I would say the free agency process was different. It was my first time doing that,” Vera-Tucker said. “I would say a decent amount of teams were interested, but making the decision, what it came down to was going to a place that had an established culture of winning, guys who just love the game and love playing for each other and obviously the coaching staff as well. All those factors came into play and I’m excited.”
He grew up with two sets of parents
Vera Tucker’s parents divorced when he was young. They’ve both since remarried.
He counts all four people as his parents. According to a 2019 profile published by his alma mater University of Southern California, it’s part of why he chooses to wear both families’ names on his jersey.
“I grew up in two households all my life,” Vera-Tucker said. “Just being able to show appreciation to the Vera family and the Tucker family at the same time has always been a passion of mine. Having those two names instead of one, it feels like I have more power. And it feels like I’m closer to each family.”
He’s proud to represent his Mexican heritage
NFL.com produced a video in 2023 highlighting Vera-Tucker’s Mexican heritage.
During an interview published on NewYorkJets.com, Vera-Tucker said he’s proud to represent that part of his identity.
“It’s a rare opportunity,” Vera-Tucker said. “There’s not a lot of us from Mexican heritage in the NFL, so being able to be one of those representatives I feel like holds a lot of weight. I’m proud to be one of them.
“Every year it’s cool during the Heritage Month, the NFL reaches out wanting you to do things and I’m all for it. Even the little things like putting the flag on the back of the helmet, I think that’s really cool. It’s cool to wear that helmet or the flag with pride.”
Khari A. Thompson
Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.
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