The New England Patriots’ offensive line has suffered several setbacks due to injuries to several of its key members. The Patriots lost veteran center David Andrews for the season due to blood clots in his lungs, left tackle Isaiah Wynn would miss eight weeks because of a turf toe while right tackle Marcus Cannon is battling a shoulder injury. Keeping a clean pocket for veteran quarterback Tom Brady is crucial so the Patriots have to find ways to protect the 42-year-old signal-caller, who is the main factor in their drive for a seventh Super Bowl trophy.
The Patriots recently signed veteran offensive tackle Caleb Benenoch, who played three seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before he was released recently. However, Benenoch was a limited participant in the Patriots’ two practices due to calf issues. As of now, the Patriots plan to plug the holes in their offensive line with Marshall Newhouse, Korey Cunningham, Richie Cunningham at tackles.
Williams could address Patriots offensive line woes
Christopher Gasper of the Boston Globe said the Patriots could address their problem at tackle by trading for left tackle Trent Williams of the Washington Redskins. Williams is currently in a holdout due to contract issues with the Redskins, who are willing to trade him for the right price.
Gasper said the Patriots should not leave anything to chance in terms of protecting their prized player in Brady and trading for Williams could be the option they have. The Patriots need more protection now for Brady, who was limited in the Patriots’ two practices this week due to a calf issue. However, Brady’s injury was minor and he could play when the Patriots clash with the New York Jets in Week 3 at Gillette Stadium.
Patriots need salary cap room for Williams
However, the Patriots should create a massive salary cap room to accommodate Williams’ $10.85 million base salaries. Currently, the Patriots only have $2.04 million in cap space, but Casper said they could lower Williams’ salary cap hit by converting some of his salaries to guaranteed money and prorating it over the remaining two years on his deal.
The Patriots also have to give up at least a first-round pick for Williams, who have two years remaining on his deal with the Redskins. However, Belichick could work his magic and entice the Redskins to accept a second-round pick to get Williams off their shoulder. Recently, Belichick shipped a sixth-round pick to Buffalo for five-year veteran center Russell Bodine, who worked as starting a center for the Bills last season. However, Belichick released Bodine days after acquiring him, leaving the Patriots with Ted Karras as starting center and James Ferentz as his backup.
