The New England Patriots are looking to remain a Super Bowl contender next season, and while many have been focused on their pursuit of wide receivers to pair with Drake Maye, a bigger focus may be on trying to keep him upright during the 2026 season.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss suggested as much in a notebook column that was released on Sunday morning and said that depth for the offensive line is something that executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf “pinpointed” as free agency continues.
"Other than top center/guard reserve Ben Brown, the Patriots’ depth is unproven, Reiss wrote. Marcus Bryant, the 2025 seventh-round pick who was a healthy scratch for the final nine games of 2025, is currently the top swing tackle. And Caedan Wallace, who was active for just four games as a backup in 2025 is the next guard/tackle option."
With the need for depth, the Patriots could add another lineman in the coming weeks, such as Cam Robinson, which would be a solid signing to close March.
Cam Robinson Could Help Solve Patriots Depth Issues in Free Agency
Robinson would be a strict offensive tackle if he came to New England, but the Patriots could use the depth on the edge. Will Campbell struggled during the run to the Super Bowl while battling a knee injury. While the door for him to move inside to guard has closed, Alijah Vera-Tucker has suffered three major injuries during his career, including two triceps tears and an Achilles tear.
With Morgan Moses also entering his age-35 season, Reiss noted there’s a good bet that the Patriots won’t have the same injury luck they had last year. Robinson could be a solid hedge bet to that as a nine-year veteran, but there’s a good chance he’ll want to be a starter.
The problem with that request is that Robinson has fumbled his last few opportunities to start. A second-round pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Robinson was the primary starter at left tackle for seven seasons, outside of a few injuries, and began an eighth before being traded to the Minnesota Vikings before the 2024 trade deadline.
While he was serviceable for Minnesota, his career took a turn for the worse after he signed with the Houston Texans for the 2025 season. After losing his starting job to rookie Aireontae Ersery, he was traded to the Cleveland Browns. Robinson turned in the worst year of his career with a 46.2 overall grade and allowed 40 quarterback pressures and eight sacks on 443 pass-blocking snaps, per Pro Football Focus.
The Browns have not re-signed Robinson, and his projected market value of $13.1 million by Spotrac will need to come down. But with a solid offensive tackle draft class on the way, it would be a smart bet for Robinson to find a job even if he needs an injury in front of him for it to happen.
With Moses and Vera-Tucker's strong injury risks, adding a player like Robinson, who has 114 career starts, would be a good option, and it could be New England’s answer to their depth problems heading into next season.