2017 Patriots position-by-position review: For offensive line, a tale of two seasons

With the Patriots’ 2017 season done, we’re going to take a look back at the team by position, and provide a few thoughts as to what they might need at that spot moving forward. To this point, we’ve covered quarterback, tight end, running back and wide receiver. We wrap up the offense with a look at the offensive line.


2017 depth chart: OT Marcus Cannon, OT Nate Solder, OT Cam Fleming, G/C Ted Karras, C David Andrews, OG Shaq Mason, OG Joe Thuney, OT LaAdrian Waddle, OL Cole Croston, OL James Ferentz, OL Andrew Jelks, OL Antonio Garcia, OL Jason King.

Contract status: Cannon (signed through 2021), Solder (unrestricted free agent), Fleming (unrestricted free agent), Karras (exclusive rights free agent), Mason (signed through 2018), Thuney (signed through 2019), Waddle (unrestricted free agent), Croston (signed through 2019). Ferentz and King were mostly practice squadders who were re-upped earlier this month. Meanwhile, Jelks (signed through 2019) and Garcia (signed through 2020) were sidelined this past year because of injury.

Overview: This really was a case of two distinct and separate seasons for the New England offensive line. The first half of the year was a struggle, and a Nov. 1 conversation with venerable offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia produced this memorable statement: “Look it, we’re eight games into this deal, and no one is satisfied.” (That quote came a couple of days after Tom Brady spent the better part the afternoon running for his life against the Chargers, a game where Greg estimated he was under pressure on almost half his dropbacks. More on that in a second) In all, over the first eight games, Brady was sacked 21 times, including 13 times in the first four games.

Over the last eight games, Brady was sacked 14 times. It’s obviously not that simple, but it was one indication things got better for this group down the stretch and into the postseason. By the end of the year, Scarnecchia sounded considerably happier about the state of his group: "I think we’ve gotten better as the year has gone on, and I’m pleased with the way that they’ve improved," he said a few days before the Super Bowl.



Best Moment: Considering that this group built throughout the season to an impressive finish, we’ll go with the last two games of the year as their best moments of 2017 for the New England offensive line. (Note: The totals are courtesy of my colleague Greg.)

In the divisional round against the Jaguars, it held up nicely against a fearsome Jacksonville pass rush, giving Brady enough time down the stretch to orchestrate the comeback. Brady was sacked three times, but one was arguably a coverage sack, and five quarterback hits and four quarterback hurries allowed represented a positive outing against “Sacksonville,” especially when you have a backup right tackle in Fleming in the game.

And while the game-changing play on the Super Bowl came as the result of a strip sack where Mason was beaten inside, the work of the line as a whole against the Eagles was also very good. Brady was sacked the one time, and working with the line, was given more than enough time to operate in the pocket. In that one, Fleming was exposed from time to time on the edge, but did as well as could be expected. At the same time, Solder (2 QB hurries) and Thuney (1 QB hurry, 1 QB hit) were rock-solid from start to finish.

Worst Moment: Granted, the Chargers have one of the best pass-rush groups in the league, but it was an absolutely miserable afternoon for the New England offensive line when the two teams met at the end of October. Greg has the full breakdown from that game here, a contest that included 1.5 hits and 5.5 quarterback hurries allowed by Solder, 1.5 hits yielded by Mason and 2 hits that were the responsibility of Thuney. To that point in the year, the 5.0 average yards per play was tied for the lowest of the season. Same with the 3.0 average per rush, and 6.3 yards per pass attempt.

By the numbers: According to Pro Football Reference, Mason led the Patriots in 2017 with 1,136 snaps in the regular season, a total of 99.74 percent. Thuney was second on the team with 1,134 snaps (99.56 percent). They were also 1-2 in the league when it came to total snaps played during the regular season.



A few thoughts about the position: The biggest question here is Solder. If you can find a way to bring him back and re-install Cannon at right tackle this offseason, it’s an excellent start, considering the way this group was trending at the end of the season. But this group really needs some tackle depth. It’ll be interesting to see what Garcia and/or Jelks might be capable of bringing to the table in 2018. If they are capable of playing in 2018, the need for an extra body lessens a bit, especially if they can bring back Waddle as the swing tackle for 2018. And I feel like we don’t talk about Mason enough — the youngster out of Georgia Tech has emerged as an ultra-dependable presence at right guard. He’s durable and tough, and quickly becoming one of the better interior offensive linemen in the league. If he continues on his current arc and gets to free agency following the 2018 season, he could be in line for a sizable payday.

Chance Patriots address this position in free agency: Slim. There are some occasional exceptions to the rule, but for the most part, the Patriots usually don’t go looking for free agent offensive linemen. And frankly, there’s not a lot of options out there that might be considered cost-effective.

Chance Patriots address this position in the draft: Excellent. The Patriots seemingly hand one mid-round selection over to Scarnecchia every year. With that in mind, look for them to take an offensive linemen sometime in the fourth or fifth rounds.