Insider Drops Concerning Take on Patriots Biggest Need

The New England Patriots have a ton of holes up and down their roster, but perhaps no area is more glaring than their offensive line.

The Patriots had arguably the worst offensive line in the NFL this past season, which spells very bad news for Drake Maye moving forward.

New England does have a whole lot of cap room to address the problem in the coming months, but Mike Giardi of The Boston Sports Journal does not think it will be so easy.

"Offensive tackle/line remains as weak as any position group on the football team (WR runs neck and neck)," Giardi wrote. "But herein lies the problem(s) for the Pats, which I've illustrated many times: there may not be a single top-level left tackle available in free agency - rarely does a good one get traded (Trent Williams, and that was because of exceptional circumstances) - or the draft. And for the latter, it's one of those 'off all the years' situations."

There actually are a couple of decent options in free agency, as both Ronnie Stanley and Alaric Jackson are hitting the open market next month.

Stanley is a two-time Pro Bowler, and Jackson is just 26 years old and is coming off of a breakout season with the Los Angeles Rams.

However, the issue is that Stanley is rarely healthy (the 2024 campaign represented his first full season since he entered the league back in 2016), and Jackson remains largely unproven.

"This is likely causing sleepless nights for the new regime and [Eliot] Wolf/Matt Groh and will really test their talent evaluation skills, as well as the coaching of new OL coach Doug Marrone," Giardi added.

The Pats may be left with no choice but to use the No. 4 overall pick on an offensive lineman (Will Campbell has frequently been mocked to the Patriots).

On the bright side, the Patriots' offensive line can't be any worse than it was this past year...right?