The Patriots still have some questions along their offensive line, with the tackle position being one that remains a concern heading into the 2023 season.
Offensive lineman Trent Brown arrived at training camp seemingly in better shape than he had a month ago and so far, he’s been a solid presence at left tackle. However, right tackle remains a giant question mark given how things have unfolded during this first week for the New England Patriots.
After earning first team snaps, Reilly Reiff appeared to struggle and he ended up giving way to Conor McDermott, who has since taken over on that side of the line. McDermott ascended into that role last season, taking over and playing nearly every snap after their Thanksgiving Day loss to the Vikings through the end of the season.
However, the club appears focused on continuing to build depth at the position, with rookie Sidy Sow now expected to start building some experience there after Bill Belichick admitted this week the plan was to try him at tackle.
“I think that’s where we’re going to start to work him, where we’ve been working him all the way through the spring,” said Belichick on Tuesday when asked about him. “I think he’s made a lot of progress, and keep going.”
When asked why they liked him more at tackle than guard, Belichick said they feel like that’s an area that will help them, while also referencing his experience there in college.
“I just feel like that’s the right spot for us,” said Belichick. “That’s why we’re putting him there, but he played tackle in college his freshman year, then he played left tackle in the all-star game. So, he’s played a little bit of tackle.”
The 2023 fourth round pick out of Eastern Michigan is a big player with a lot of power, which was something that was obvious looking at his film after he was drafted. His athleticism was also something that stood out, especially for someone his size (he’s listed at 6’5″, 318lbs on the team’s website).
The former Eagles standout played left tackle and left guard in college, but he’s been seeing work at right tackle both during the spring and up to this point in training camp. He’s also been working with the third-string group as he continues getting acclimated.
But for now, there seems to be a plan in place for Sow to give them some depth and if what we’ve seen so far has been any indication, it looks like they may end up needing it.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
