Patriots' Will Campbell finally gets good news after Super Bowl collapse

The New England Patriots got the entire Will Campbell experience during his first year in the league.

He was solid for the most part, especially in the regular season, before a knee injury. But his lack of experience and perceived shortcomings were evident when it mattered most.

Campbell failed to keep Drake Maye out of harm's way in the playoffs. That was particularly evident in the Super Bowl as the Seahawks piled up six sacks of Maye.

However, ESPN analyst Ben Solak believes that was just circumstantial. Even though the Patriots added another first-round OT in Caleb Lomu, Solak doesn't think Lomu is a legitimate threat to take Campbell's spot at left tackle.

The Patriots aren't trying to replace Will Campbell

“The simplest explanation is that Campbell was an injured rookie playing in the Super Bowl, took his lumps and will be all the better for it,” Solak wrote. “He'll return this season healthier and with a better understanding of how NFL rushers will try to expose his short arms. As his technique improves, it'll become easier to forget his size disadvantage.”

Per Solak, Lomu is there to replace the aging Morgan Moses, who will be 36 and has no guaranteed money in his contract after this season.

Campbell had a flawless track record in college, but his short arms raised major questions about whether he'd be better suited to play guard in the pros.

His rookie campaign was a bit of a mixed bag, though some growing pains are always to be expected for first-year tackles, and getting hurt late in the season clearly didn't help his case.

That said, the Patriots enter this season with Super Bowl aspirations again, so as much as they still believe in him, they may have to pull the plug on him and try their luck with their other first-round tackle if Campbell struggles again in 2026.