New England Patriots: 2 big reasons why Joe Thuney is no great loss
First, how the New England Patriots current offensive line will protect the quarterback
It seems clear that New England Patriots would like to have kept Joe Thuney on their offensive line. But at what cost? Evidently, five years at $80M was too high for their wallet. They made the right decision. Here’s why.
An offensive line is or should be a cohesive organism for doing two things, protecting the highly valued quarterback and opening running lanes for the team’s backs.
At or near the top of New England’s offseason activities this far is the trade for Trent Brown. As this author has written before, Brown was an underrated and integral part of the Super Bowl-winning team in 2018, whether his contribution was acknowledged or not. Watch the films.
This single move may be the best that the New England Patriots make in the entire offseason. They botched things when they let Brown leave in free agency before, and they have rectified that somewhat, by bringing him back now. But that praise has to be qualified.
They only brought him back on a one-year deal and that is short-sighted, once again by the Patriots’ brain trust.
And in addition, they seem to lean toward playing Brown at right tackle, as the Raiders did, rather than at left, obviously, his most beneficial position as demonstrated in 2018. Brown should start at left tackle.
Once again it has to be said that if he does not, it will be a mistake. While Isaiah Wynn is one of the most technically gifted offensive tackles you will ever see, he is very small for the left tackle position (or the right for that matter) and prone to injury. Play him on the right.
The open position is at left guard to replace Thuney. A big hole to fill but a big man to fill it. That would be the 2020 best draft pick and best player, Michael Onwenu.
Onwenu can slide into the left guard position seamlessly and the loss will be minimal if anything at all. He’s that good.
Meanwhile, Wynn can move over to right tackle, have protection on the strong side with a top tight end for a change, like Jonnu Smith or Hunter Henry playing beside him, and excel. And hopefully, also stay healthy in the process. Seems to make sense.
And, to add to the equation, the patriots have brought back captain, leader, and an all-around great guy and player David Andrews to once again center the line and call the signals.
The line, configured as suggested will be a top-five in the NFL. If they put Brown on the right, it will be less effective, could result in yet another Wynn injury, and will be a top 10 line, perhaps. The choice is clear.