How Will The Patriots Improve The Offensive Line In 2016?
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- The New England Patriots' biggest weakness became abundantly clear throughout their AFC Championship loss. The depleted offensive line is now the team's most pressing need in the offseason and the positional group with the most room for improvement.
But how much will the Patriots add to the line as currently constituted? They may not do as much as you think.
The biggest "addition" to the 2016 Patriots offensive line will likely be the return of left tackle Nate Solder, who tore his biceps in just the fourth game of the season. Shelving Solder left the Patriots scrambling to fill both tackle positions, which moved everyone else out of place and threw the entire line out of sync. Tom Brady's passer rating in 3+ games with Solder protecting his blind side was 119.3. In the 12+ regular season games after the Solder injury, Brady's rating was 96.9.
As much as the Patriots missed Solder's pass protection, they missed him in the ground game even more. Solder's underrated run blocking is his true strength and the Patriots running game dipped from 3.8 yards per carry with Solder to 3.6 without him. The ground game was weak all season and the team could use an upgrade over LeGarrette Blount as the early-down back, but it's even worse without No. 77 on the field.
SEE ALSO: Matt Light: Frustrating Lack Of Attack From Patriots' Offensive Line Vs. Broncos
Solder's return to left tackle will slide the rest of the Patriots tackles back into their normal roles. Sebastian Vollmer moves back to his natural right tackle position after struggling mightily on the left side while the likes of Cameron Fleming and Marcus Cannon return to the bench where they belong.
Cannon, in fact, should be one of the many Patriots to be cut in the offseason to make room under the salary cap. It would allow for both extensions for key defensive players and additions to the offensive line. Cutting Cannon would save over $3.6 million in cap space, which, considering Cannon's consistently poor performance in 2015, would be much better spent elsewhere.
Vollmer could be back, but he is the oldest player on the offense not named Brady (or Gostkowski or Steven Jackson, if you want to count those two) at age 31 and could be better suited as the third tackle with fewer snaps. That would leave a big void at right tackle that the Patriots could fill via free agency.
Cleveland Browns right tackle Mitchell Schwartz ($1,645,267 cap hit in 2015) could be an intriguing option as an impending free agent and the Patriots have a deep recent history of acquiring former Cleveland players since hiring Mike Lombardi - but Schwartz could command a 5-year deal north of $30 million, like Bryan Bulaga recently got from the Green Bay Packers. Impending Kansas City Chiefs free agent right tackle Jeff Allen, who successfully transitioned to tackle from guard, could pique Bill Belichick's interest with his versatility.
As for the interior of the offensive line? There likely won't be any big changes. Guard/center Ryan Wendell, whose experience the Patriots also sorely missed, is an impending free agent who will free up $2.4 million off the cap, or provide solid veteran depth if he re-signs. The uninspiring play of guards Josh Kline, and rookies Shaq Mason and Tre' Jackson left much to be desired, but they did not get gashed as often as the tackles.
Both Jackson and Mason should be expected to improve in year two while Bryan Stork and David Andrews should be a good-enough tandem at center. This group had clear communication issues down the stretch and worst of all in the AFC Championship Game, which should get better with more experience playing together.
Don't expect many fireworks on the offensive line in the offseason, but it's clear that better talent and more depth is necessary to keep Brady upright. The question is whether the Patriots upgrade the starters or the bench, but ideally they improve both. Solder's return helps a ton, but it's still not enough to field a much better line than the one that got Tom Brady pummeled for most of 2015.
It's unknown how the Patriots plan to address the offensive line in the offseason, but after last Sunday's historic beatdown, it can only get better.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
