Round two of positional previews for training camp. I covered safeties on Tuesday. Today, the interior of the offensive line is in focus.
IOL: Garrett Bradbury (C), Jared Wilson (C), Ben Brown (C), Mike Onwenu, Cole Strange, Sidy Sow, Layden Robinson, Tyrese Robinson, Caedan Wallace (G/T), Jack Conley, Mekhi Butler
What I Like About This Group: Multiple options at left guard and maybe another at center.
What I Dislike About This Group: I don't know if any of those options at guard are capable of being a league-average starter. Bradbury's lack of size leads to him getting bullied, as it did a season ago. I have questions about Doug Marrone's ability to reach younger players (that's partly why he got bounced in New Orleans).
X-Factors: Wilson and Marrone.
This group starts with Onwenu. He needs to be the player he's being paid to be. That didn't happen for a better part of last season. Was that conditioning? The scheme (he wasn't a great fit)? Moving from one position to the next? All of the above? Onwenu knows he's the starting right guard and has familiarity with the system. All that leaves in conditioning to worry about, and he didn't appear to be in elite shape this spring. In his defense, Onwenu wasn't fully cleared to participate in OTAs and mini-camp because he was still recovering from offseason hand surgery, but he still looked like he didn't pour himself into cardio. I'd bet the farm Mike Vrabel is expecting a 'leaner' Onwenu by the third week of July.
When he's right, Big Mike is pretty nimble, and has been an above-average pass blocker to go along with his heavy hands and leg drive in the run game. If the former Michigan man is that guy again, the Pats' line just got better. If Onwenu's not ... Vrabel has himself a problem.
Bradbury is the man in the middle, for now. Despite being undersized, he's always been a feisty run blocker. He'll struggle with the likes of Quinnen Williams, just as David Andrews before him (and everyone else). But it's the pass pro that has me worried. I've mentioned it before, but Bradbury gave up the highest 1-on-1 pressure rate of all centers in the league. A whopping 12.7%. The Vikings signed former Colt Ryan Kelly to push Bradbury out the door, and I don't blame them. That's a swap worth making.
Can this offense and the three-headed offensive line coaching monster of Marrone, Houghtaling, and Kugler mask some of what ails Bradbury? No way of knowing in the spring. I do know that the six-year vet has been helpful with the younger offensive linemen and is doing his best to get in sync with QB Drake Maye. I suspect he's the week one starter, especially because Wilson has been limited. We don't know exactly why, but he missed two games at Georgia last season due to a foot injury.
Wilson only working off the side may have been the biggest bummer of the spring. The third-rounder doesn't have a ton of experience in the middle - he's a one-year starter at center - but his athletic profile is appealing. Wilson could benefit from a little more weight/strength, and maybe that's what holds him back in year one. Certainly, not being a full-go in his first few months in Foxborough may also contribute to that,
Wilson did play guard in a reserve role for the Bulldogs, and some have wondered if he'll cross-train at that position (I asked around rookie mini-camp). My sense is the staff won't go there yet. Let him show he's comfortable with one spot before considering another. We shall see.
A big reason for considering this is that no one has claimed the left guard spot over the last few months. Wes Schweitzer got some of those first-team reps, and now he's on the reserved/retired list.
Sow started a bunch of games as a rookie, and while his overall performance was overblown by PFF, he was in line to start last season before suffering an ankle injury in camp. He came back, although you'd be hard-pressed to find him (though I think I saw him on the side of a milk carton by December).
As for Strange, the former first-rounder has made some mental mistakes, which is one of the reasons he hasn't been able to work or receive consideration to play center.
Tyrese Robinson appeared to have some non-padded momentum before missing mini-camp following his sister's passing. Like Bradbury, Robinson is a Vikings castoff. He was signed off their practice squad in November of last year and appeared to have jumped ahead of Strange before the necessary absence. He's a strong man, though he has never been known for his footwork, even dating back to his days at Oklahoma (he played as much tackle as guard there, but don't even think about the former at this level).
Caedan Wallace also entered the chat in late May/early June. He might be better suited to play inside than out (I quoted several league execs/scouts as saying that a year ago), but this regime seemed to want Wallace to be the swing tackle. Is the increased interior reps a sign that he wasn't getting it done outside or a cry for help on the inside? I don't have a good answer to that yet. Wallace did a sound job as the jumbo tight end last season, though his experience was limited due to injury. The point is, I don't think anyone truly knows if he has a future here or if he ends up in the graveyard of wasted picks.
Layden Robinson was selected in the same draft as Wallace one round later. That Wallace got an opportunity at left guard ahead of Layden this spring (easier to go first name with Tyrese in this group as well) is telling.
The former Texas A&M standout played over 600 snaps last season as a rookie. It didn't go well. He was a sieve in pass protection, and the power that we saw in the running game during July and August faded faster than my motivation to work out on a 90-degree day. I thought one of his worst games - if not the nadir - was the finale against the Bills and their backups. It was even worse than his cameo against the Titans (Jeffery Simmons forced him to the bench). Again, I'm not saying Layden is cooked, but he's going to need a strong summer to insert himself back into future plans.
You know who's not getting enough love? Brown. He was plucked off the Raiders' practice squad and a few days later became the starting center. He did a commendable job for 10 games. There were a couple of stinkers in there - Tennessee and Arizona - but my feeling is this team, or a dozen others, could do a lot worse than have Brown as the backup. If Wilson remains limited in the summer, Brown might be able to secure a spot.
Last up is Conley. A UDFA out of Boston College, he tied a school record by playing 60 games over his career. Safe to say he's seen a whole bunch of looks and went head-to-head with the good, bad, and ugly of ACC football. Conley is a large human - 6'7", 333 lbs - and played multiple spots for the Eagles. Don't underestimate the ties to Marrone, who consulted at BC last year, and Bill O'Brien, one of Vrabel's best friends.
Right now, there are far more questions than answers for the group as a whole. Can Marrone strike the right message and help develop a couple of the kids to create the necessary depth to survive the season? Only time will tell.
