The Patriots have made a pair of moves to address their offensive line thus far this offseason, but the missed opportunities are garnering more attention in New England.
Mike Vrabel and company never had the chance to pursue Ronnie Stanley and Trey Smith, who committed to staying with their respective teams before free agency began. The Patriots also weren’t overly interested in trading for Laremy Tunsil, who was moved by the Houston Texans to the Washington Commanders.
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New England recently watched another veteran O-lineman find a new team when Cam Robinson chose Houston in free agency. ESPN’s Mike Reiss shared a note about Robinson’s decision in his latest Sunday morning column.
“Left tackle Cam Robinson, who signed a one-year deal with the Texans on Thursday that reportedly has a maximum value of $14.5 million, could have helped the Patriots answer one of their top questions as he was arguably the top left tackle remaining on the market,” Reiss wrote.
“And the Patriots were in the mix to some degree, according to a team source, but the sense was that Robinson preferred Houston.”
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It’s tough to knock Robinson for choosing the Texans over the Patriots. C.J. Stroud and company won a playoff game in each of the last two seasons and Robinson now has the opportunity to take on the critically important role of replacing Tunsil. Heading into his age-30 season, the Alabama product might not have been interested in taking part in a rebuild with New England.
But now, the Patriots’ effort to improve protection for Drake Maye rolls on. And at this point, New England might view next month’s draft as the most effective way of fulfilling that objective.