New England Patriots
“You don’t want to derail the improvement that he’s making and some of those things.”
Caleb Lomu is expected to develop into a starting tackle for the Patriots. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
August 17, 2026 | 6:09 PM
2 minutes to read
FOXBOROUGH – In an ideal scenario, the New England Patriots would likely grant 2026 first-round pick Caleb Lomu a “redshirt” rookie season.
With New England’s tackle position seemingly anchored by starters Will Campbell and Morgan Moses, Lomu could provide valuable depth as a swing tackle — while also benefiting from a full season where he can hone his craft and find his footing in the pro game.
Granted, few “ideal” scenarios actually play out over the course of a grueling football season.
But even if Campbell bounces back in his second pro year and 35-year-old Moses avoids the injury bug, Lomu could still be pressed into service — at the guard position.
While New England has two starting guards in place between Alijah Vera-Tucker and Mike Onwenu, the depth chart on New England’s interior O-line behind those two players is barren — especially with Ben Brown now ruled out for weeks with a leg injury.
Add in Vera-Tucker’s own track record of injuries, and New England’s O-line could start taking on water in short order if one of their starting guards lands on the shelf.
As such, Mike Vrabel acknowledged on Monday that New England might ask Lomu to also log some reps at guard over the next few weeks as a potential contingency plan for a banged-up personnel grouping.
Vrabel first hinted about the possibility of pushing Lomu to the interior weeks ago. But so far, New England has yet to move Lomu to guard during practices.
It’s a tricky situation for the Patriots to navigate — given both the evident need for reinforcements at guard and the risk that comes with putting too much on Lomu’s plate during this critical stage of his development.
“You certainly could,” Vrabel said when asked if we could see Lomu get looks at guard. “I think we just, what happens is, where do you feel like he can make the most strides, and you don’t want to derail the improvement that he’s making and some of those things. And so I’m probably much like you guys and say, “Hey, that it’s not that big of a deal to go from tackle to guard.”
“I’ve got a lot of coaches that probably think differently than what you guys and maybe me think, and that it’s a little bigger deal, but I think Caleb’s been working hard. He’s been trying to improve, but I think at some point we will need to do that as well, and that’s just trying to be fair to the kid and the player as he’s developing and learning this game and this league, and then at some point in time probably have to take a look in there.”
The 6-foot-6 Lomu has had an up-and-down camp so far, with the former University of Utah standout going through the expected growing pains that come with blocking proven NFL talent.
That undertaking will get even tougher for the 21-year-old offensive lineman if he has to get pushed inside to alleviate a position of need.
But unless New England adds some insurance with a proven NFL commodity at guard later this summer (potentially after roster cutdown day), Lomu might have to be handed the unenviable task of serving as the Patriots’ backup Swiss Army Knife across the O-line in 2026.
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
Get the latest Boston sports news
Receive updates on your favorite Boston teams, straight from our newsroom to your inbox.
