Jared Wilson will move to Center

Pape · Mar 31, 2026

Eliot Wolf Confirms New Position For Patriots Offensive Lineman | NESN

The New England Patriots will rearrange their offensive line following a free-agent signing.

nesn.com

In news that will shock no one, LG Jared Wilson is moving positions... going from LG to Center...Alijah Vera-Tucker will take over the LG spot...

figure a new look line will help take some of the pressure off the left sign of the line... the lack of experience there last year was well documented, as there were some poor returns as the season dragged on...

Campbell - Vera Tucker - Wilson - Onwenu - Moses

Not a bad set up for the line going into otas and camp...

Thinking, at this point, 31 will be used on a RT... its probably going to be bpa.. the best skill positions should be off the board by the time we get to 31... unless we trade up (eh, doubtful, but it could happen, depending on how far we want to move)

i know the line has been discussed several billion times since the sb, but, eh... its the slow time leading up to the draft...

ViperGTS · Mar 31, 2026

Pape said:
Eliot Wolf Confirms New Position For Patriots Offensive Lineman | NESN

The New England Patriots will rearrange their offensive line following a free-agent signing.

nesn.com

In news that will shock no one, LG Jared Wilson is moving positions... going from LG to Center...Alijah Vera-Tucker will take over the LG spot...

figure a new look line will help take some of the pressure off the left sign of the line... the lack of experience there last year was well documented, as there were some poor returns as the season dragged on...

Campbell - Vera Tucker - Wilson - Onwenu - Moses

Not a bad set up for the line going into otas and camp...

Thinking, at this point, 31 will be used on a RT... its probably going to be pba.. the best skill positions should be off the board by the time we get to 31... unless we trade up (eh, doubtful, but it could happen, depending on how far we want to move)

i know the line has been discussed several billion times since the sb, but, eh... its the slow time leading up to the draft...

I like it. He was drafted as a center, and that is why I loathe FA before the draft. Should be draft then FA because you don't know who might be available you. IMO he's the starting center if Bradbury hadn't been signed.

A lot better than paying what LV did for Linderbaum.

Pape · Mar 31, 2026

ViperGTS said:
I like it. He was drafted as a center, and that is why I loathe FA before the draft. Should be draft then FA because you don't know who might be available you. IMO he's the starting center if Bradbury hadn't been signed.

A lot better than paying what LV did for Linderbaum.

i bet the union would fight that tooth and nail... they want the vets to get first crack at all the free agency money before teams fill holes with cheap draft capital...

ViperGTS · Mar 31, 2026

Pape said:
i bet the union would fight that tooth and nail... they want the vets to get first crack at all the free agency money before teams fill holes with cheap draft capital...

Yeah but since the rookie deals are slotted, that should take that issue away right? I mean the holes will be there.

Hugepatsfan · Mar 31, 2026

ViperGTS said:
I like it. He was drafted as a center, and that is why I loathe FA before the draft. Should be draft then FA because you don't know who might be available you. IMO he's the starting center if Bradbury hadn't been signed.

A lot better than paying what LV did for Linderbaum.

I think FA before the draft is way better than draft before FA. With rookies in the draft, you're already dealing with a ton of projection of how they're going to fit in your system. If you haven't even done FA yet, now you have the added element of a chunk of your roster being open so you don't have as clear a picture of what's around them and how they fit. Draft after FA puts you in better position to evaluate how the rookies are going to fit your specific team which I think is important since you're already struggling to project what type of player they'll be in the pros at all.

Pape · Mar 31, 2026

ViperGTS said:
Yeah but since the rookie deals are slotted, that should take that issue away right? I mean the holes will be there.

depends on the strength and weakness of the respective fa/draft classes

Crazy Patriot Guy · Mar 31, 2026

ViperGTS said:
Yeah but since the rookie deals are slotted, that should take that issue away right? I mean the holes will be there.

Let's say you need a LT in the worst way and for whatever reason, a great one falls to you in the draft. Would you still pay top dollar for the best available veteran LT in free agency afterwards?

Hugepatsfan · Mar 31, 2026

Crazy Patriot Guy said:
Let's say you need a LT in the worst way and for whatever reason, a great one falls to you in the draft. Would you still pay top dollar for the best available veteran LT in free agency afterwards?

If you drafted that great LT though then that means another team didn't and now they still need to sign the top FA available. It just moves around who needs what heading into FA. Instead of building your team with proven talent and then evaluating how the unproven rookies fit into that, you just stock the team with unproven talent and then try to fit the vets around what you're projecting for that unproven talent. It just changes the order of operations in a way that now means you're relying on some more uncertainty out of the guys who you have no NFL tape n vs. the guys you do.

Pape · Mar 31, 2026

Hugepatsfan said:
If you drafted that great LT though then that means another team didn't and now they still need to sign the top FA available. It just moves around who needs what heading into FA. Instead of building your team with proven talent and then evaluating how the unproven rookies fit into that, you just stock the team with unproven talent and then try to fit the vets around what you're projecting for that unproven talent. It just changes the order of operations in a way that now means you're relying on some more uncertainty out of the guys who you have no NFL tape n vs. the guys you do.

if you were a free agent, would you prefer one team to pursue you in FA or two (or more) ?

Crazy Patriot Guy · Mar 31, 2026

Hugepatsfan said:
If you drafted that great LT though then that means another team didn't and now they still need to sign the top FA available. It just moves around who needs what heading into FA. Instead of building your team with proven talent and then evaluating how the unproven rookies fit into that, you just stock the team with unproven talent and then try to fit the vets around what you're projecting for that unproven talent. It just changes the order of operations in a way that now means you're relying on some more uncertainty out of the guys who you have no NFL tape n vs. the guys you do.

But if you and others draft LTs you're happy with, that's less teams in need of a LT, or at the very least less teams willing to spend top dollar. Of course we often see a team willing to overpay, even when they seem to be competing only against themselves, but that doesn't always happen.

What if the 2027 RB draft class is considered the deepest in history? I have no doubt that would reduce the amount of teams willing to spend big on a FA RB. And I can't see any scenario in which the market for those RBs would go up after the draft has concluded.

BUSTAMOVE · Mar 31, 2026

Now if they get a stud OT/OG it will solidify the protection of Drake for now and the future
I am in the camp that Campbell will be just fine at LT and Wilson at C. My only concern is Moses injury probability at his age. I want a OL in the 1st round. If we give Drake a deep good OL he will tear the league apart

Ross12 · Mar 31, 2026

C: Wilson, Brown
LG: Vera-Tucker, Brown, Wallace?
RG: Onwenu
LT: Campbell, Hudson?
RT: Moses, Bryant

Maybe some of the depth players shift around, but there's good and bad here. The starters look pretty solid, but they can't weather much damage injury-wise, and they have AVT who is exceptionally injury-prone. They also have Onwenu on an expiring contract and no clear player to take over for him if they do not extend him or re-sign him in 2027. Finally, Moses is 35 years old and won't play forever, although guys like Trent Williams at 38 are still doing it, so I guess it's possible he still has a couple years of starting ability left.

Definitely need to add a couple pieces to this group.

Hugepatsfan · Mar 31, 2026

Pape said:
if you were a free agent, would you prefer one team to pursue you in FA or two (or more) ?

I mean, in this example here, there's 31 other teams that didn't draft that great LT we're hypothesizing about. And even in the current format, it's not like teams don't know what the draft board looks like. Sure, there would be certain teams who drop out of the running because they got a guy they like in the draft. But there's also be a bunch of teams that maybe thought they could get a guy at LT in the draft but didn't so now they're MORE motivated to sign the player.

I don't think it would have an overall impact on salaries or number of teams pursuing players.

mgteich · Mar 31, 2026

We will have 8-10 on the 53-man roster.

We have 6: the starters plus Brown (who can start at any of the IOL positions).

Wallace, Hudson and Bryant will have competition for their roster spots.

The only 100% NEED is at RT since Moses could retire at any time.

Bryant could make the roster as a backup LT.

Hugepatsfan · Mar 31, 2026

Crazy Patriot Guy said:
But if you and others draft LTs you're happy with, that's less teams in need of a LT, or at the very least less teams willing to spend top dollar. Of course we often see a team willing to overpay, even when they seem to be competing only against themselves, but that doesn't always happen.

What if the 2027 RB draft class is considered the deepest in history? I have no doubt that would reduce the amount of teams willing to spend big on a FA RB. And I can't see any scenario in which the market for those RBs would go up after the draft has concluded.

How many times do teams go into the draft hoping to address a certain position but the board doesn't fall that way? Teams oftentimes overspend on FAs so they don't have to rely on finding someone in the draft. If the draft were first, that possibility of not finding their guy would be realized by teams across different positions and now they'd arguably be even more motivated to sign guys.

I really don't think FA before draft or draft before FA would have much of a net impact on teams pursuing FAs. It just moves things around as far as who needs what. Certain teams would fill their needs to satisfaction in the draft, certain teams wouldn't. The ones that didn't would now pursue the FAs, and arguably with more urgency.

Crazy Patriot Guy · Mar 31, 2026

Hugepatsfan said:
How many times do teams go into the draft hoping to address a certain position but the board doesn't fall that way? Teams oftentimes overspend on FAs so they don't have to rely on finding someone in the draft. If the draft were first, that possibility of not finding their guy would be realized by teams across different positions and now they'd arguably be even more motivated to sign guys.

I really don't think FA before draft or draft before FA would have much of a net impact on teams pursuing FAs. It just moves things around as far as who needs what. Certain teams would fill their needs to satisfaction in the draft, certain teams wouldn't. The ones that didn't would now pursue the FAs, and arguably with more urgency.

If 14 teams go into the draft with a need at a certain position, and 10 of them fill that need to their satisfaction, that leaves 4 teams that didn't. Yes, you can make a case that those 4 teams will be more desperate and be willing to spend more. But that only matters to 4 free agents. There's still a lot more veterans out there that are now only seen as luxury or depth pieces rather than critical needs. Those guys won't get paid the same. No, I don't think the draft being first would mean the average free agent would instantly be paid peanuts in comparison to previous years. But any drop in money spent at all would be reason enough for the NFLPA to be against it.

Pape · Mar 31, 2026

Crazy Patriot Guy said:
If 14 teams go into the draft with a need at a certain position, and 10 of them fill that need to their satisfaction, that leaves 4 teams that didn't. Yes, you can make a case that those 4 teams will be more desperate and be willing to spend more. But that only matters to 4 free agents. There's still a lot more veterans out there that are now only seen as luxury or depth pieces rather than critical needs. Those guys won't get paid the same. No, I don't think the draft being first would mean the average free agent would instantly be paid peanuts in comparison to previous years. But any drop in money spent at all would be reason enough for the NFLPA to be against it.

Yup...

Hugepatsfan · Mar 31, 2026

Crazy Patriot Guy said:
If 14 teams go into the draft with a need at a certain position, and 10 of them fill that need to their satisfaction, that leaves 4 teams that didn't. Yes, you can make a case that those 4 teams will be more desperate and be willing to spend more. But that only matters to 4 free agents. There's still a lot more veterans out there that are now only seen as luxury or depth pieces rather than critical needs. Those guys won't get paid the same. No, I don't think the draft being first would mean the average free agent would instantly be paid peanuts in comparison to previous years. But any drop in money spent at all would be reason enough for the NFLPA to be against it.

Teams "double dip" in free agency and the draft at positions all the time and I see no reason to think they wouldn't continue to do so. How often does a team sign a veteran player as a "stop gap" and then draft someone to learn behind them after.

For your running back example earlier... with the current system of FA before the draft, you can look up any year where the RB class was supposed to be good and there's talk of how the market is bad because teams know they can look to the draft. Even now with FA before the draft, it's not like the draft board is some hidden thing teams have no idea of. They go into FA still having a general sense of what the available talent pool in the draft is and who they like. It's not like the combine and some pro days don't happen before FA.

I think you're grossly exaggerating the degree to which teams consider a position filled to satisfaction because they took a guy in the 2nd round. They know a ton of guys bust completely. They know a ton of guys who end up being great players aren't ready to help a team win right away. And most coaches/executives know they can always be fired if they don't win more games so teams who aren't obviously rebuilding aren't going to sit on money that could be used for upgrades on the roster still.

And for the record, I think FA before the draft is better because I think you'd rather be adding the unproven player (rookies) to more stable and certain situations. I don't want the order to change. I just don't agree that flipping the order would result in less money to free agents.

Crazy Patriot Guy · Mar 31, 2026

Hugepatsfan said:
Teams "double dip" in free agency and the draft at positions all the time and I see no reason to think they wouldn't continue to do so. How often does a team sign a veteran player as a "stop gap" and then draft someone to learn behind them after.

For your running back example earlier... with the current system of FA before the draft, you can look up any year where the RB class was supposed to be good and there's talk of how the market is bad because teams know they can look to the draft. Even now with FA before the draft, it's not like the draft board is some hidden thing teams have no idea of. They go into FA still having a general sense of what the available talent pool in the draft is and who they like. It's not like the combine and some pro days don't happen before FA.

I think you're grossly exaggerating the degree to which teams consider a position filled to satisfaction because they took a guy in the 2nd round. They know a ton of guys bust completely. They know a ton of guys who end up being great players aren't ready to help a team win right away. And most coaches/executives know they can always be fired if they don't win more games so teams who aren't obviously rebuilding aren't going to sit on money that could be used for upgrades on the roster still.

And for the record, I think FA before the draft is better because I think you'd rather be adding the unproven player (rookies) to more stable and certain situations. I don't want the order to change. I just don't agree that flipping the order would result in less money to free agents.

But teams wouldn't necessarily be sitting on the money, they might just not commit long term to players quite as often. If the Pats sign a guy to a multi year deal with lots of guaranteed money, it wouldn't be all that hard to get the first year cap hit down to $10 million. But if they instead sign someone else to a 1 year, $10 million deal, the cap hits are identical. But the first guy deposited a hell of a lot more in the bank.

The union couldn't care less about the salary cap, they just want every penny they can get for players. (Which I'm not saying they're wrong for, it's the whole point) And as has been said by me and others, if there's even a small chance this would lead to less money for the players, there's zero incentive to go along with it.

VJCPatriot · Mar 31, 2026

Pape said:
Eliot Wolf Confirms New Position For Patriots Offensive Lineman | NESN

The New England Patriots will rearrange their offensive line following a free-agent signing.

nesn.com

In news that will shock no one, LG Jared Wilson is moving positions... going from LG to Center...Alijah Vera-Tucker will take over the LG spot...

figure a new look line will help take some of the pressure off the left sign of the line... the lack of experience there last year was well documented, as there were some poor returns as the season dragged on...

Campbell - Vera Tucker - Wilson - Onwenu - Moses

Not a bad set up for the line going into otas and camp...

Thinking, at this point, 31 will be used on a RT... its probably going to be bpa.. the best skill positions should be off the board by the time we get to 31... unless we trade up (eh, doubtful, but it could happen, depending on how far we want to move)

i know the line has been discussed several billion times since the sb, but, eh... its the slow time leading up to the draft...

Makes sense to me. Jared Wilson was a highly regarded center prospect in last year's draft. I think moving him to guard was more a matter of necessity than something that best served his development or best suitability.

7	533

131	7K

668	55K

154	7K

Jared Wilson will move to Center

PatsFans.com Supporter

Pro Bowl Player

PatsFans.com Supporter

Pro Bowl Player

In the Starting Line-Up

PatsFans.com Supporter

In the Starting Line-Up

In the Starting Line-Up

PatsFans.com Supporter

In the Starting Line-Up

PatsFans.com Supporter

Finding My North Star(s)

In the Starting Line-Up

PatsFans.com Veteran

In the Starting Line-Up

In the Starting Line-Up

PatsFans.com Supporter

In the Starting Line-Up

In the Starting Line-Up

Pro Bowl Player

Similar threads

📅 This Week in Patriots History: