New England Patriots
The Patriots’ offensive line was much improved in 2025. Will they take a bigger leap in 2026?
Will Campbell blocks for Drake Maye AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper
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Patriots 2026 position preview: Tight ends edition
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ESPN ranks Drake Maye among NFL’s top-10 quarterbacks
Welcome to Boston.com’s Patriots position preview series. As we count down the days heading into training camp, we’ll take a look at where the Patriots stand at each position using key stats and observations from spring workouts. You can find our preview on the Patriots’ quarterbacks, wide receivers, tight ends, running backs, linebackers and defensive backs here.
The Patriots‘ offensive line had a much better showing in 2025 than it did in 2024, but it remains one of the team’s biggest question marks.
New England has invested in young players to bolster this group, spending their last two first-round picks on tackles. They had a pair of rookies, Will Campbell and Jared Wilson, protecting Drake Maye’s blindside last year.
With Wilson’s move to center, the addition of offensive guard Alijah Vera-Tucker, Campbell having an entire offseason to recover from an MCL injury, and Mike Onwenu returning, its likely that four of the Patriots’ starters will be 28 or younger.
Morgan Moses played in all 17 games at age 35 last year, and has been a mentor for the young tackles.
The Patriots were able to produce a ton of explosive plays last season, and Maye enjoyed an MVP-caliber year while playing behind this offensive line, but this group is still a work in progress.
Could they see a boost from the added experience with four of the five starters coming back? Here’s where they stand heading into training camp.
Players: Mehki Butler, Ben Brown, JonDarius Morgan, Andrew Rupich, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Sebastian Gutierrez, Mike Onwenu, Jacob Ritzy, Jared Wilson, Caedan Wallace, Marcus Bryant, Will Campbell, Dametrious Crownover, James Hudson III, Caleb Lomu, Lorenz Metz, Morgan Moses.
Key Stats:
- New England gave up 21 sacks in the postseason, more than three times the amount allowed by any other team during that span.
- The Patriots were sixth in rushing attempts and 14th in yards per carry during the regular-season.
- The Patriots were second in gains of 20+ yards (69).
- Maye led the league in completion percentage (71.9) and QB rating (112.7).
Strengths: Pro Football Focus had the Patriots sixth in the league in pass-block efficiency rating (86.5) during the regular-season.
From an eye-test perspective, Maye certainly looked more comfortable playing behind this group this season than he did as a rookie. Part of that has to do with Maye’s evolution as a passer, and his athleticism certainly helps with extending plays.
The numbers seem to suggest that the Patriots were solid at pass blocking. Maye wouldn’t have been able to complete 72 percent of passes while leading the league in yards per completion behind an offensive line who couldn’t block.
The Patriots ran the ball a lot, and their yards per carry numbers were slightly above-average during the regular-season.
This is a young group that has the potential to improve as they continue to play together.
Weaknesses:
Working with a new center is going to take some getting used to, especially when that player is undergoing a position switch. Wilson played left guard as a rookie, but he’ll have to build a different kind of chemistry with Maye this summer.
On paper, Vera-Tucker should be an upgrade over Wilson at left guard, but his injury history is concerning. He missed all of last season with a torn triceps. He played in seven games or less in three of his five seasons with the Jets.
Campbell has yet to prove himself against elite competition. Myles Garrett had five sacks when Cleveland came to town. Campbell gave up 14 pressures in the Super Bowl, which is tied for the most in a playoff game since 2018.
Moses was durable last year, but with older players there is always a concern about how they’ll hold up.
Observations from OTA/Minicamp:
- Campbell spent most of the spring working as the top left tackle, with first-round pick Caleb Lomu mostly working on the right side.
- Lomu has consistently said that he is comfortable playing wherever the Patriots put him. He played left tackle in college opposite another first-round tackle (Spencer Fano) at Utah.
- There haven’t been too many noticeable issues with the snap with Wilson under center, though that could change once the pads come on.
2026-27 Outlook: This group held up well during the regular-season as the Patriots chewed up an easy schedule.
The question is: What happened in the playoffs? Campbell had an MCL injury that hampered him during the back half of the year. Wilson had some rookie growing pains. The unit, as a whole, seemed to be overwhelmed by Seattle in the Super Bowl.
Production matters, and Maye had a very productive year last season. This group now has a postseason run and another offseason under its collective belt, which could be big for developing players.
Lomu looks the part of an NFL offensive tackle, but it doesn’t appear that the Patriots are as eager to play him right away as they were with Campbell last season.
Overall, this group did enough for Maye to succeed in 2025. It wasn’t always pretty, especially during the playoffs, but more experience should help.
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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