Getty
The New England Patriots
The New England Patriots reportedly have a plan for the guard position. It will not include any big-time splash signings. MassLive’s Mark Daniels reported this.
The plan for the Patriots, as Daniels notes, would be to create more competition that has Wilson practicing at center and left guard. Center is Wilson’s preferred position. If he were to win the competition, the Patriots would need to find a left guard.
This is where the building part comes in. The Patriots would prefer to find a guard via the draft than in free agency. There are free agent options available. However, it sounds like that would not be the Patriots’ first choice, as Daniels notes.
Sources said they don’t expect the Patriots to be major suitors in the veteran free agent market. Some names that would provide help are David Edwards and Joel Bitonio.
Instead, the Patriots are hoping to add another guard in the middle rounds of the draft. The team believes they could find a future starting-caliber player here in the spring.
A Move That Makes Sense For Patriots
Wilson to center would make sense to some degree. It’s what he played at the University of Georgia. He served as a backup center and guard from 2021-2023. He became the full-time starting center in 2024. Wilson addressed well. He earned Second-Team all-SEC honors and allowed zero sacks over 431 total snaps.
The Patriots’ offensive line improved over the course of the season. They also improved overall from2024. They had a 64% pass-block win rate. That was 14th in the NFL. In 2024, they won 51% of pass blocks, which put them 31st in the NFL.
Their run-block win rate was 72%, good for ninth in the league. This was much better in comparison to 67% in 2024, which placed them last in the NFL.
They were also much more efficient at not letting defenders get to Drake Maye. Their average time to pressure was 2.87 seconds. That was good enough for eighth in the league. This was miles better than 2024, when the line recorded a 2.58-second time to pressure rating. That was 27th in all of football.
Patriots Want To Build From Within
It sounds like the Patriots want to continue the youth movement on the line. There were signs of improvement in 2025. Nevertheless, there is also room for improvement. Not going after a veteran in free agency is a risky proposition. After all, a player like Morgan Moses was invaluable for the Patriots in terms of what he brought to the table, both on and off the field.
At the very least, the Patriots are decisive in what they want. They know they want to build the organization via the draft. This was made evident in another report written on Sunday afternoon. They are not going to overpay, and they are not going to sacrifice any future assets. It’s a strategy that might frustrate some in the long run. However, the Patriots are looking at the organization with a long-term lens. It will be interesting to see how this approach affects free agency plans and what the organization does to make the team better.
Danny Jaillet Danny Jaillet is a sportswriter with more than 15 years experience in the industry. He has been featured on Fox Sports, USA Today, and Yahoo Sports among others. He graduated from Worcester State University with a B.A. in communications and a minor in writing. More about Danny Jaillet
More Heavy on Patriots
Loading more stories