Late Monday evening, the Patriots struck a deal with their top free agent: offensive tackle Mike Onwenu. The move solidifies the Patriots’ right tackle spot for the foreseeable future. Onwenu, who represented himself throughout the negotiation process, agreed to a 3-year, $57M contract with $38M guaranteed.
In March, Patriots de facto general manager Eliot Wolf expressed the importance of retaining Onwenu as the start of the league’s legal tampering period approached.
“Mike’s a core player for us,” Wolf said at the NFL Combine. “It’s no secret we want to try to keep Mike; he’s certainly someone that we view as a cornerstone for us.” Safe to say, Wolf stuck to his word.
Improving the offensive line is one of New England’s top priorities this off-season, as they aim to escape an injury-riddled 2023 season with a lack of quality depth. Retaining Mike Onwenu was the first step in re-building the unit. His versatility to play both offensive guard and tackle at the impressive level he does is something the organization can’t afford to lose, especially if a rookie quarterback is under center come the 2024 regular season.
New England still needs to address an issue opposite of Onwenu at left tackle, which they could solve through free agency and the NFL Draft.
Tyron Smith and Jonah Williams are two tackles that remain in the open market and can solidify the position or serve as a short-term solution while a 2024 prospect sits and learns under one of them for a year or two. Recently signed swing tackle Chukwuma Okorafor could fill in with his starting experience, but it would likely be ideal to find another option.
With a generous amount of money still able to be spent on player personnel, New England has the opportunity to address their depth needs as well. Conor McDermott, Vederian Lowe, Tyrone Wheatley Jr., and Calvin Anderson are the current composition of offensive tackles on the Patriots roster heading further into free agency.
Atonio Mafi, Michael Jordan, Andrew Stueber, and Jake Andrews are the depth pieces on the interior, with Cole Strange, David Andrews, and Sidy Sow as the current starters.
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