Leading up to the opening of Patriots training camp 2019, WEEI.com will take a position-by-position look at the competition for roster spots and roles this summer in New England.
Offensive Line
Overview: The Patriots return four starters from last year's solid, Super Bowl-winning line, but it's the one hole in the lineup that will be the key focal point all summer and even well into the 2019 regular season. After just one impressive campaign in Foxborough, Trent Brown took $60 million to move on to the Raiders in free agency. As such New England will have to figure out a solution at the left tackle spot for the second-straight summer with 2018 top pick Isaiah Wynn, who missed his entire rookie season to a torn Achilles, and reliable left guard Joe Thuney as the two candidates to battle it out for the right to protect Tom Brady's blindside.
Players (season #): Joe Thuney (4), David Andrews (5), Shaq Mason (5), Marcus Cannon (9), Isaiah Wynn (2), Ted Karras (4), Cole Croston (3), Brian Schwenke (7), Yodny Cajuste (R), Hjalte Froholdt (R), James Ferentz (4), Dan Skipper (1), Cedrick Lang (2), Tyler Gauthier (R), Tyree St. Louis (R)
Coaching: Few if any NFL assistants are more respected than Patriots legendary offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia. "Scar" enters his 34th season as a New England assistant, a staple on Bill Belichick's staff who annually gets the most out of the talent he has on the depth chart while building technically-sound, versatile offensive line units. In many ways any questions regarding the Patriots offensive line are minimized because of the faith and respect that fans and media alike have for Scarnecchia.
Competition: Wynn never really had a shot to compete with Brown last summer and has yet to get on the practice field this offseason to begin battling for the once again open left tackle job. Thuney was an all-conference left tackle at N.C. State before establishing himself at left guard in New England, where he's never missed a game. It seemed the Patriots were preparing for the possibility of Wynn not being ready to open the season when they signed veteran journeyman starter Jared Veldheer in the offseason only to see him retire before even getting to camp. If Wynn is ready at left tackle the rest of the line falls into place nicely with the returning, cohesive unit that also includes team captain center David Andrews, one of the best young guards in the game in Shaq Mason and solid veteran right tackle Marcus Cannon. If Thuney has to bump out to tackle, that also leaves a hole at left guard. Maybe Wynn would be ready for that less critical role, otherwise veterans Ted Karras and Brian Schwenke would be the next options in line. There will also be interesting battles to fill out the other reserve roles with veteran Cole Croston jockeying with a pretty inexperienced group that includes a pair of draft picks in interior candidate Hjalte Froholdt (fourth round) and possible swing tackle Yodny Cajuste (third round), though the latter may be headed for a spot on NFI as he works back from a reported quad surgery.
Prediction: It's hard to predict the left tackle spot without knowing exactly how advanced Wynn is in his Achilles recovery. Ideally he'll take the job, but it feels more likely that he won't be ready on a full-time basis, leaving the impressive veteran Thuney to prove his versatility and worth heading toward free agency next spring. Barring injury, the rest of the line returns and it set. Wynn, Thuney, Andrews, Mason, Cannon and Karras seem like roster locks, with Croston, Schwenke and Froholdt the most likely names in line for reserve roster spots.
