Caleb Lomu Should Be The Patriots’ Starting Left Tackle

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Caleb Lomu Should Be The Patriots’ Starting Left Tackle

Originally posted on Anubis Sports | By Wayne Gregoire | Last updated Oct 19, 2026 7:55 PM ET

The New England Patriots continue to be bitten by the injury bug, but the silver lining is that it gives first-round pick Caleb Lomu a chance to show what he can do. So far, he’s shown that he may be the best offensive lineman on the team. He filled in for Will Campbell and then, this past week, played 60 snaps after Morgan Moses suffered an ankle injury.

He’s played 159 total snaps on the season (81 pass snaps), and hasn’t committed a penalty or allowed a single sack. Quarterback Drake Maye struggled mightily to start the season, and his emergence of late started when Lomu started protecting him. For three straight weeks, last year’s MVP runner-up has thrown three touchdown passes. Like any quarterback, he is lethal when he has time, and Lomu gives him tons of it.

This Is Why The Patriots Drafted Caleb Lomu

New England selected Campbell with the fourth overall pick in the 2025 draft, but then took another left tackle in the first round a year later. Why? It’s because while Campbell played well as a rookie, he was completely owned in the playoffs, and his struggles against the Seattle Seahawks may have cost the team the Super Bowl. So the team hedged its bets in the 2026 NFL Draft.

It’s not like Lomu was a right tackle in college either. He played 27 games for Utah, and 24 of those were at left tackle. It’s all he played, and that was the reason he was coveted by the Patriots. That, and the fact that he didn’t allow a single sack in 2025 and allowed just eight pressures on 357 pass snaps last season. New England has brought him along slowly, but it’s time for him to take the reins protecting Maye’s blind side.

Campbell is still a great player, but he may be better suited for the other side of the line (regardless of what Mike Vrabel is saying). Campbell has played 361 snaps this season (209 in passing situations). He has committed four penalties and allowed 12 pressures. That’s a penalty every 90 snaps and a pressure every 17 pass snaps. Moses has been worse.

The former Raven has committed five penalties on 325 snaps in 2026 (one every 65 snaps) and allowed 10 pressures on 193 pass snaps (one every 19.3). Again, Lomu has no penalties in his 159 snaps and has allowed just three pressures on 81 pass snaps (one every 27). He’s clearly shown so far that he is the best left tackle on the team and should be starting there immediately.

Moving Campbell to RT shouldn’t be seen as an insult, but as a way to give the Patriots one of the strongest pairs of bookends in the league. He still has a Pro Football Focus (PFF) score of 77.8 on passing downs this year (14th in the league). Lomu has registered 81.7 (7th). Making the move ensures that Maye stays upright longer and keeps his touchdown onslaught going strong.

Vrable and the Patriots can say all they want about a potential move, but if they aren’t even considering it, then their decision-making needs to be seriously questioned.

This article first appeared on Anubis Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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