When New England Patriots training camp opens at the end of the week, there’s going to be one position group that a lot of eyes are going to be on, and rightfully so. There’s probably not a bigger question mark on the team right now than the offensive line.
The possible outcomes for this group are wildly different, and, depending on who you ask, people either feel a lot better about last year, about the same, or, in some cases, even worse. In this week leading up to camp, I’m going to do a deep dive
into each position along the offensive line and let you know whether I think the Patriots improved, and what to expect from the position as a whole. Today is Day 2, and we’re starting at right guard. Let’s get into it.
Right guard deep dive
2025 starter: Mike Onwenu
Projected 2026 starter: Mike Onwenu
No changes at this position this year: Mike Onwenu is the clear starter, and they didn’t add any backups this offseason, except for undrafted free agent JonDarius Morgan. Onwenu has been one of the best guards in the league the last few years, and the Patriots will be hoping that they can get the same type of performance from him again this year.
The big question with this position is what is going to happen in 2027 and beyond. Onwenu is on a reworked one-year deal, and there hasn’t been any word about an extension with the pending unrestricted free agent. The Patriots have extensions coming with Christian Gonzalez and Drake Maye, so they may not be willing to pay Onwenu what he is worth (or at least what he thinks he is worth). If they don’t, there’s no one else to take over, so that would become a sizable hole for the Patriots to fill.
Luckily, they still have Big Mike for this season, and they should be solid at right guard once again.
