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Patriots OL Will Campbell

Two of the positions that could determine the fate of the Patriots in the 2025 season are those that have been utterly overhauled in the past three months. First, of course, is the defensive line, where New England spent heavily–$104 million–to bring in top free agent Milton Williams, as well as another $44 million to add pass-rusher Harold Landry. That accounted for more than 40% of the team’s hefty winter spending.

But the other position that will go a long way in sussing out this season is the left tackle spot, where Will Campbell was the No. 4 overall draft pick out of LSU, brought in to fill a position that has been a glaring hole on the roster for years.  It’s an especially important spot now, too, with quarterback Drake Maye’s blind side needing better protection.

And it’s a blessing for Campbell to find himself now lining up against a line that could be considered one of the best in the AFC, if everyone stays healthy. Not only is he facing the newcomers, but he has Patriots stalwarts Keion White and returning lineman Christian Barmore to contend with.

Patriots Need to Improve Front

That’s big. Campbell is learning from the best and said he is grateful for that chance.

“It’s not only Keion, it’s Harold, Milt, Christian,” Campbell said. “Those are all guys that have played a lot of ball in the NFL. So for me to be able to get that exposure in an OTA, it’s pretty good. They’ve been great teammates and they’ve been showing me some stuff and what they’re looking for, things like that. It’s been pretty cool.”

Campbell will have a lot on his shoulders this season, as the Patriots will return only one offensive lineman for certain this offseason–Mike Onwenu at right guard. Garrett Bradbury is likely to be the new center and the team signed new tackle Morgan Moses to man the right side. The left guard competition is open, though incumbent Cole Strange is favored.

But the left tackle spot remains the keystone to the group.

Will Campbell Is a Work in Progress

It’s a work in progress for Campbell. But the emphasis is no progress. As White said, “Very early on, he was struggling. But he’s not afraid to ask questions or to be bad. He made adjustments and kept working on his technique.”

Now that minicamp is over, Campbell will spend the coming five weeks or so before training camp improving his game but also adjusting to life in New England, a decidedly new experience for him.  As he said, before all this interest from the Patriots, The furthest east and north I had ever been was Atlanta.”

Much to learn, then.

But Campbell said, on the field, he can tell there is improvement:  “I can feel myself improving practice after practice. That’s the thing, I’ve got to come out and get better every day and I’ve felt like I have done that.”

Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney