Listed at 6-foot-7 and 320 pounds, Marcus Bryant looks like a starting NFL offensive tackle. He feels like one too, and on Thursday, he actually was.
With Will Campbell nursing an injury and participating in a limited fashion during the New England Patriots’ 11th practice of training camp, Bryant stepped in as the top left tackle. He spent the entirety of competitive team drills in that position, with first-round rookie and presumptive OT3 Caleb Lomu serving as the second-unit right tackle and third-unit
LT (behind Bryant and fellow rookie Dametrious Crownover).
For Bryant, the opportunity to fill in for Campbell was big.
“Being able to step in for my brother, it means a lot,” he said after the session.
Bryant originally joined the Patriots as part of the same draft class as Campbell. But while the 2025 first-rounder started all 17 of his available games, the seventh-round pick Bryant was relegated to backup duty and eventually a regular spot on the list of healthy scratches. As a consequence, he appeared in 12 games but played only 19 offensive snaps — all at right tackle and none of them after November.
Bryant admitted that getting his feet under him was a problem during his first year as a pro. The Patriots seemingly agreed, signing Thayer Munford Jr. mid-season to replace him as the backup right tackle down the stretch.
Fast forward to August, and Munford Jr. remains unsigned as a free agent. Bryant, meanwhile, is in the process of making a second-year jump that has allowed him to take over for Campbell on Thursday.
For the 24-year-old, the secret to doing so is simple.
“Being able to come in and think like a starter,” he said. “Growing up and maturing is part of the game, and I feel like I took another step this year. … I’m going to do my best to try to get on the field and try to help us win.”
While practices and games are two entirely different experiences, Bryant feels confident in his abilities to step up when called upon, and comfortable playing on the left. The Patriots’ coaching staff apparently agrees, which is why now projects as the second left tackle — despite it being Caleb Lomu’s college position and Bryant himself having played on the right in 2025.
However, he is no stranger to the left tackle role either: he played 2,706 snaps at LT during his five-year college career at SMU and Missouri and lined up on both sides last summer as well.
Moving from left to right and back comes natural to him.
“It’s just trying to switch your brain from punching with your left hand and punching with your right hand. You just have to flip your mind,” he said. “It feels about the same.”
