The Patriots entered training camp with significant questions along their offensive line; those have not been answered, as the team continues to delay Drake Maye‘s debut. This could set up a historically rare succession at the game’s highest-profile O-line position. The Pats may be on the verge of starting a fourth left tackle in four games to open the season. Demontrey Jacobs, who went to camp with the Broncos before becoming a Patriots waiver claim, worked at LT alongside the other first-string blockers during the parts of Wednesday and Thursday’s practices open to media, the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed notes.
Injuries and Chukwuma Okorafor leaving the team put the Pats in this bind. They have used Okorafor, Vederian Lowe and rookie third-rounder Caedan Wallace at LT over the first three weeks. Lowe and Wallace injuries brought Jacobs into the fray against the Jets. Part of Denver’s 2023 UDFA class, Jacobs had not played in a regular-season game until last week. Wallace has gotten in two limited practices, potentially allowing the Pats to prevent this 4-for-4 turnstyle on Jacoby Brissett‘s blind side, but Lowe remains out ahead of a 49ers matchup.
Here is the latest from the O-line ranks:
- Remaining in the AFC East, the Jets intend to go week to week with their right tackle. Morgan Moses sustained an MCL sprain and bone bruise and will miss a few weeks, but Robert Saleh confirmed the Jets will not park their RT starter on IR. Moses has been a dependable player throughout his career, missing only three games over the past 10 seasons. It will be worth wondering if the veteran reacquires his job upon returning, as the Jets will throw first-round pick Olu Fashanu into action. Fashanu had been drafted to initially provide insurance for Moses and fellow 33-year-old blocker Tyron Smith, before moving into a long-term starting role. Will the Penn State product play well enough to avoid being sent back to the bench?
- The Cardinals are using a backup right tackle as well, plugging in Kelvin Beachum after Jonah Williams‘ Week 1 injury. Williams is on IR due to a knee injury, and Beachum missed Week 3 with a hamstring malady. Formerly a long-term starter for the Steelers, Jets and Cardinals, Beachum returned to practice but is in his age-35 season. The Cardinals worked out another 30-something tackle this week, bringing in Cameron Erving, per Cards Wire’s Howard Balzer. The Texans had cut the former first-round pick from their practice squad injured list recently, but the nine-year vet does not look to have needed much time to recover. The Cardinals started former seventh-round pick Jackson Barton in Beachum’s place in Week 3.
- GM Monti Ossenfort had said a D.J. Humphries reunion could commence down the road, despite the second-year Cardinals regime cutting the longtime left tackle early this offseason. But the former first-round pick is not ready to return from injury just yet. He is still potentially several weeks away from medical clearance, Balzer adds. Humphries, 30, started eight seasons for the Cardinals — seven at left tackle, one at right tackle — went down during the team’s Week 17 win over the Eagles.
- Beaten out for the 49ers‘ right guard job after seeing extensive time there from 2022-23, Spencer Burford is seeing some reps at a new position. The 49ers are trying the third-year blocker at tackle, per The Athletic’s Matt Barrows. This is due to San Francisco having just three tackles — Trent Williams, Colton McKivitz, Jaylon Moore — on their 53-man roster, with one of those (Williams) being 36. It is interesting this effort is only commencing now, as Williams’ holdout lasted more than a month. Burford, who now backs up third-round rookie Dominick Puni, played guard and tackle at Texas-San Antonio.