The New England Patriots made their first of what could be many difficult offseason roster moves on Monday, releasing running back Antonio Gibson.
MassLive Patriots beat reporter Mark Daniels looked at 10 players the team could potentially cut this winter in an article posted Monday morning (before the Gibson news came out), including the special teams weapon on the list.
Perhaps Daniels' most surprising inclusion in the post was right guard Michael Onwenu.
"Onwenu was the Patriots’ best offensive lineman in 2025. They shouldn’t move on from him, but the right guard will have a $25 million cap hit next season," he wrote. "The Patriots could try to restructure or extend Onwenu. If they release him, the team saves $17.5 million while being hit with $7.5 million in dead money."
New England selected Onwenu in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft and the Michigan product has been extremely durable over his first six seasons, missing just three games.
The 28-year-old has barely come off the field during the Drake Maye era, playing in and starting each of the Patriots' last 38 contests, including the recent Super Bowl run.
Onwenu played 1,082 offensive snaps across the 2025 regular season (99% of the available snaps), 87 more on special teams and committed just three penalties.
It'd be a shock to see the Patriots move on from the Detroit native, but given the financial situation, it's not impossible.
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