Training camp opens this week and there's no position group more scrutinized than the offensive line. Right guard is ground zero for that conversation, and it's fair to ask: does New England have answers here, or are we staring at another year of schemes built around protecting Drake Maye in a phone booth?
Mike Onwenu is in the mix at right guard, and he's got starting experience on his résumé. That counts for something. But the reality is the Patriots have several bodies rotating through here—Ben Brown and Jared Wilson are also part of the guard equation—and none of them have clearly separated themselves as the guy. When Mike Vrabel and Eliot Wolf inherited this roster, the offensive line wasn't exactly handed to them gift-wrapped. That was obvious in the draft and free agency moves. Now it's camp time, and these next few weeks will tell us whether this group can function as a cohesive unit or if we're looking at constant shuffling and scheme adjustments.
The margin for error is razor thin. Drake Maye needs time to operate. Rhamondre Stevenson and the running backs need lanes. You can have the best receivers in the league—and A.J. Brown certainly qualifies—but if your quarterback is eating turf every third down, none of that matters. The Patriots know this. So do we.
What gets sorted this week in Foxborough? Which right guard candidate earns consistent reps with the ones? How does the entire line communicate and gel? These aren't flashy questions, but they're the ones that determine whether this offense can actually execute Vrabel's vision. The O-line always seems to be a problem until it isn't, and then suddenly a team goes from question mark to playoff contender. We're about to find out which version of the 2026 Patriots we're getting.