The Patriots' offensive line problems just got worse. Greg Van Roten exited Sunday's game against Seattle in the second quarter with a thigh injury, leaving the right guard position in questionable hands. This isn't a minor bump—Van Roten was in his first start of the season, which means the Patriots were already thin at guard before this happened. Now they're down to third-string options, and that's a red flag for Joshua Dobbs and whatever pass protection scheme Mike Vrabel is trying to establish.
Here's what makes this genuinely concerning: Van Roten was supposed to be a stabilizing force on the interior line. You don't hand a starting role in Week 2 to someone unless injuries or underperformance forced your hand earlier in the roster construction. The fact that we're already cycling through guards tells you the Patriots either missed on draft picks at this position or failed to add sufficient depth in free agency. Jake Kubas, Jared Wilson, Ben Brown, Mehki Butler, and Alijah Vera-Tucker give the team bodies, but "bodies" isn't the same as "proven NFL guards."
The timing compounds the problem. Early September is when playoff windows either open or close, and offensive line stability is foundational. A third-string guard isn't winning anyone games. This forces Eliot Wolf's hand going forward—either the current depth proves reliable fast, or the trade deadline becomes a realistic option. Neither scenario is ideal when you're trying to develop a young quarterback room and establish credibility under a new regime.
The good news: there's still time to address this. But the Patriots can't afford to treat it as a "see how it shakes out" situation. Guard play matters too much.
Based on reporting from Pats Pulpit.