The New England Patriots chose to have a veteran offensive tackle as a healthy scratch in Week 17.
When the inactive list came out at 11:30, there was a surprise name on it – Trent Brown. The Patriots removed the 6-foot-8, 360-pound tackle from the injury report on Friday. Yet, the team listed him as a healthy scratch in the Patriots 27-21 loss to the Bills.
After the game, Belichick didn’t give an extensive explanation on why Brown was a healthy scratch.
“We activated the players we wanted to play,” Belichick told the media.
After the game ESPN’s Mike Reiss noted that Brown didn’t have a stall in the visitor’s locker room before the game. It’s still unclear if Brown made the trip to Buffalo. In response, Vederian Lowe played every snap at left tackle. Many reports were published after the game examining the reason Brown was made a healthy scratch.
The Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed reported that Brown has struggled to remain motivated after realizing he can’t make any of his playing time incentives. Patriots salary cap expert Miguel Benzan tweeted that Brown cannot cash in on any of his playing-time incentives this season. Earlier in the year, the Patriots restructured Brown’s contract, giving him a $2 million contract boost and $6.5 million in incentives.
With one game left in the season, Trent Brown has played in 11 games and started eight contests this year, but his playing time has dipped in the second half. In the first month of the season, Pro Football Focus, ranked him at the top of all offensive tackles in the NFL. However, Brown has struggled to replicate his earlier season success after the Patriots bye week. Brown’s ankle injury has made him a limited participant in practice the last several weeks.
The 30-year-old hasn’t been afraid to openly question the team’s motives, especially their handling of rookie quarterback Malik Cunningham.
“And that’s good for him [Malik Cunningham] to get a real chance to play his real position,” Brown told Sophie Weller of A to Z Sports.
After the game, Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal reported behind-the-scenes information surrounding Trent Brown. Brown suffered an ankle injury in the Patriots loss to the Dolphins in late October. However, Giardi said many believed the tackle could have returned earlier than Week 12.
“Internally, I’m told, there was belief Brown could have returned before [Week 12] and did not,” Girardi said. “The belief was that he was protecting himself and his future earnings in a season without the promise of a postseason. With the number of players on the roster who were playing through injuries – including those on the offensive line – needless to say, that hasn’t gone over very well.”
Along with giving that report, Giardi mentioned a conversation with an unnamed Patriots player:
“A lot of us — almost all — are fighting for each other and for pride, even though the results aren’t what any of us want. It sucks that not everyone is willing to put it out. I hope people who sign the checks are paying attention.”
It’s unclear if Trent Brown will play again for the Patriots this season. The veteran tackle will test out free agency in the offseason. Nevertheless, the Patriots will need to look for a tackle in the draft or free agency.
My name is Ben Belford-Peltzman and I am the creator and writer of The Patriots Beat. I am a 17-year kid who is an optimistic pessimist about the City of Champions. I started The Patriots Beat in August of 2022 and never expected to grow so much but here we are. Feel free to email Thepatriotsbeat@gmail.com with any inquires.
