FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Among the New England Patriots' biggest priorities this offseason was to fortify the offensive line around quarterback Drake Maye.
It was a must as Maye attempts to make a leap forward in his second season under a new coach, new offense and surrounded by several new playmakers.
Through the first full week of training camp, signs of improvement are beginning to show for the new-look group.
“I think those guys are battling,” Maye said. “They don’t get enough love ever. And I think the
coaching staff and what the offensive linemen are doing, I think they will be doing throughout the whole season. It’s going to be impressive.”
Injuries decimated the front five last season, with the Patriots fielding 11 different combinations of starters. The lack of consistency contributed to a line that ranked near the bottom of the NFL last season in pass-block win rate (51%) and was 31st in run-block win rate (67%).
While it may not be a direct correlation, Maye has yet to throw an interception during live drills through eight training camp practices.
What projects to be a vastly new starting group up front has certainly had a role in that.
Six-foot-six, 320-pound Will Campbell, the fourth overall draft pick in April, was selected to be Maye's new blindside protector. He'll likely be joined by free agent addition Morgan Moses at right tackle and veteran Michael Onwenu at right guard.
Cole Strange, the 2022 first-round pick who is finally healthy after missing all but three games in 2024 following a knee injury, is in the mix at left guard. But he is getting lots of competition from 2025 third-round pick Jared Wilson.
The only real concern might be at center after offseason addition Garrett Bradbury suffered an injury earlier this week that has kept him sidelined. Strange has spent some time there and on Wednesday the Patriots also signed former Boston College and UFL center Alec Lindstrom.
Campbell said he is soaking everything up that he can, including taking pointers from not just his peers on offense, but the defense as well.
“A lot of those guys have played a lot more football than me,” Campbell said. “So anything that they can help me with and give me tips on things they see me doing that can help my game and help me in any way — that's what a rookie asks for.”
Maye has certainly taken notice of the strides made by the group lined up in front of him, adapting as the offense experiments with different cadences and signals to identify linebackers pre-snap.
The group is also giving Maye time in the pocket to identify open receivers and has shown some noticeable chemistry with free agent acquisition Stefon Diggs, rookie receiver Kyle Williams and others.
Moses said there is also a humbleness surrounding this group of linemen that stands out.
That includes Campbell, who Moses said is responding well to teaching points from the coaching staff and his peers as he continues to go through some expected growing pains playing on the outside in the NFL.
“He's learning how to be a pro. He's learning how to try and not make the same mistakes as he's made before,” Moses said.
“Obviously, you have great defensive linemen across from you. ... They're doing a good job of pulling him to the side and telling him tendencies that he might have. So he's learning. ... That's a part to who Will is — eager to learn and get back out there and fix things."
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