The New England Patriots offensive line was in terrible need of a face lift after three straight seasons of finishing ranked in the 30s for pass rush win rate. After signing three new starters, it appears the unit got just that. Now veteran tackle Morgan Moses tells reporters that the bruise crew is focusing on building chemistry before the season begins.
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“It starts with the foundation, and it starts with the camaraderie and the brotherhood,” Moses told reporters. “When I first got here, there weren’t a lot of offensive line dinners and things like that. We’ve hung out a couple of times already. The key is being able to get to know each other outside the building. Coach Vrabel has done a great job of allowing us to get up in team meetings and tell our stories, which allows us to come together.”
Moses is exactly what this offensive line needed in the room. A 34-year-old veteran entering his twelfth season in the NFL will help steer the young tackle Will Campbell in the right direction.
It seems the role of the mentor is one that Moses is willing and able to step into, as he deposited a little bit of wisdom on the room of reporters.
“Don’t get discouraged, man. Rome wasn’t built in one day,” Moses continued. “It takes foundation to build these things. We play a position that’s based off of technique and the knowledge of the game, so being able to build off of one bad day, come back and correct some things. Just don’t make the same mistake over and over. That’s what growth is.”
Garrett Bradbury Impressed By Drake Maye’s Maturity
Garrett Bradbury has big shoes to fill. The 30-year-old center spent his first six years in the league with the Minnesota Vikings. He was signed to a two-year, 12 million dollar contract with the Patriots to replace long time captain David Andrews.
Bradbury came to Foxboro with big expectations, but it is the confidence of the Pats young gun slinger that has earned his respect.
“I can’t believe how mature he is at such a young age,” Bradbury said of Maye. “I spent a lot of time with him this spring, and I have to remind myself he’s 22, right? He’s light years ahead of where I was, where most [young players] I’ve seen [are]. In terms of his approach, his mentality, he doesn’t act like a 22-year-old. He understands the weight of the position he plays.”
The Patriots are rolling out a young offensive line in the 2025 season. There’s two sides to that coin. On one side, if all goes well the Pats will have a lot to build off for a long time. On the other, an inexperienced line creates a lot of room for miscommunication with a new coaching staff and a young quarterback.
Moses is by far the oldest on the unit at 34, Bradbury is the only other starter above the age of 30. Guards Mike Onwenu and Cole Strange are 27 and 26-years-old respectively. Rookie tackle Will Campbell will walk into a starting role and fans can expect to see rookie interior offensive lineman Jared Wilson getting some playing time as well at some point this season.
It will be hard to be worse than this unit has been in the last several years, however, there are still plenty of questions left to be answered about the reliability of the o-line crew.
