Patriots HC Jerod Mayo Hints at New Starting Left Tackle

The New England Patriots could be making some changes to their offensive line.

Jun 10, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo walks to the microphones for a press conference at minicamp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

One of the most notable question marks for the New England Patriots this upcoming season revolves around how the offensive line will turn out as we approach Week One of the new NFL year.

The Patriots suffered through a few hiccups on their front lines during their past campaign, and also took on a few adjustments to the unit along the offseason as well.

Previous starting tackle Trent Brown is out of the fold and with the Cincinnati Bengals, a couple of new rookie faces in Caedan Wallace and Layden Robinson got picked up in April, and Chukwuma Okorafor enters his first year in Foxboro after spending the first years of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The changes were extremely welcomed into a Patriots team that needed to take some steps forward on the offensive line for 2024, but we're still waiting for answers on how their five-man unit will look to kick things off. Of course, names like Michael Onwenu and David Andrews should be expected staples in the trenches, but beyond that, it's been as good as anyone's guess.

However, head coach Jerod Mayo offered some insightful information on Tuesday surrounding the Patriots' plans on the offensive line-- specifically at left tackle.

Mayo gave reporters and fans a hint that Okorafor would be the likely starter as this offense's blindside protector, though training camp leaves the door open for that to be fluid.

"I would say right now, based on the time he's been in the league alone, [Okorafor's] going to start there. But again, my mentality and our offensive mentality is to put the five best guys out on the field. We'll see how it plays out."

- Jerod Mayo on Patriots' LT battle

Okorafor effectively brings an experienced option as a tackle, as he started 59 of his total 77 games with the Steelers, though ended up getting benched halfway through his most recent 2024 campaign.

Now, he gets an opportunity to reclaim his role as a significant piece on the offensive line in Foxboro and already seems to be in a good position to do so. Still, it's far from a cut-and-dry decision for the Patriots.

Okorafor will be battling with guys like rookie Caedan Wallace, or even the potential of Onwenu shifting over to the left side if he stands out in that area. As Mayo mentioned, it's simply a battle to shake out the best five players to put on the field, and we'll start to get a sense of who that is as training camp continues to move forward.

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