The goal would be to find a stable group to use on a game-to-game basis, then-New England Patriots offensive line coach Scott Peters said during the 2024 regular season. For a multitude of reasons related to performance, injury and possibly coaching, that never happened; instability ended up defining New England’s O-line all year long.
While it plagued the team at the tackle position, the constant personnel turnover was even worse along the interior. In total, the Patriots used eight different starters over the course of their 17 games as well as seven different combinations.
Heading into the offseason, finding a group to stick therefore is high up on the list of priorities.
Patriots interior offensive line depth chart
David Andrews: The Patriots’ most experienced offensive lineman, who signed a one-year, $6.5 million extension during the offseason, Andrews started 2024 in a familiar spot: as the starting center and a team captain. However, his 10th NFL campaign found an abrupt end when he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 4 against San Francisco.
Michael Onwenu: The Patriots re-signed Onwenu in free agency via a three-year, $57 million contract. They initially planned to employ him as their starting right tackle, but moved him back inside to his old spot at right guard. In total, Onwenu ended up playing 691 snaps at guard compared to 329 at tackle. His combined 1,021 snaps (93.4%) ranked first among his teammates and he was New England’s only O-lineman to start every game.
Cole Strange: After suffering a patellar tendon tear in December 2023, Strange was forced to open the season on the physically unable to perform list. When he returned a year after the injury, the former first-round draft pick was moved from left guard to center. He started the final two games of the season at that position.
Layden Robinson: A fourth-round selection in the 2024 draft, Robinson received plenty of opportunities early on in his rookie regular season; he started six of the first nine games at right guard. With his pass protection in particular not on the necessary level, however, he was eventually demoted to a backup role. The Patriots reversed course from Week 13 on, inserting him as their starting left guard down the stretch. Overall, he was on the field for 603 offensive snaps (55.2%) in his first year as a pro.
Ben Brown: Brown started the 2024 season with the Las Vegas Raiders, but was signed off their practice squad in the aftermath of David Andrews’ season-ending injury. He entered the starting lineup just four days after his arrival, and ended up playing 667 snaps (61%) at center over 10 games. A concussion cost him the final two contests of the season, although his starting role was already in jeopardy with Cole Strange returning off PUP.
Jake Andrews: After seeing minimal action during his 2023 rookie season, Andrews’ sophomore campaign was over before it even began. The former fourth-round draft pick suffered a meniscus tear in early training camp, and was placed on season-ending injured reserve in August.
Lecitus Smith: Smith joined the Patriots’ 53-man roster via the Green Bay Packers’ practice squad in November, and served as a backup for the rest of the season. He appeared in eight games for the club, but played only five offensive snaps. Most of his action — i.e. 28 snaps — came as part of the field goal and extra point protection squads.
Tyrese Robinson: Another practice squad pickup, Robinson arrived in New England in November from the Minnesota Vikings. His only game action came in Week 18, when he entered the lineup in place of Michael Onwenu after one series. He ended up playing 61 snaps without any noteworthy incidents.
Lester Cotton: The Patriots claimed Cotton via the waiver wire in late November, and he ended up appearing in three of five possible games for his new club. The former Miami Dolphins lineman played 19 offensive snaps.
Those nine players are not all exclusively interior linemen, though. Michael Onwenu, for example, started six games at right tackle. On the flip side, tackle Sidy Sow has extensive experience on the interior and might be moving back inside under the Patriots’ new regime.
Offseason preview
Contract statuses: David Andrews (signed/2025), Michael Onwenu (signed/2026), Cole Strange (signed/2025), Layden Robinson (signed/2027), Ben Brown (ERFA), Jake Andrews (signed/2026), Tyrese Robinson (signed/2025), Lecitus Smith (signed/2025), Lester Cotton (RFA)
Coaching staff: Doug Marrone (offensive line), Jason Houghtaling (assistant offensive line), Robert Kugler (assistant offensive line)
The Patriots’ interior offensive line can be broken down into two groups: the potential starters and the backups. The first group consists of David Andrews, Michael Onwenu, Cole Strange and Layden Robinson; all four of them started games in 2024.
How the Patriots’ new coaching staff feels about them and their outlook for 2025 and beyond will determine how they operate during the offseason.
Based on 2024, there is little reason to be optimistic which in turn could lead to an aggressive approach. Andrews is getting up there in age and entering what might be his final season off a significant injury; Onwenu might be moved back to tackle again; Strange played only two games at an unfamiliar spot; Robinson showed promise at times but had his fair share of rookie growing pains throughout the year.
The Patriots properly assessing those four players, as well as the backup options, will be critical with free agency and the draft on the horizon. There is a chance that the team will invest major resources to bring players such as Kansas City’s Trey Smith or Baltimore’s Patrick Mekari in from the open market; likewise, New England might feel good about the talent it has up front and only address its depth behind the top quartet.
At the end of the day, the Patriots have starter-caliber options under contract at both center and guard (something, one could argue, is not the case at tackle). That does not mean they won’t be looking for upgrades, though, in order to find that stability they were sorely lacking last year.
