New England Patriots - NESN.com
There have been several surprising developments along the New England Patriots’ offensive line so far in training camp. On Friday night in their preseason contest against the Washington Commanders, head coach Mike Vrabel made another surprising move when he started seventh-round rookie Marcus Bryant at right tackle.
Veteran tackle Morgan Moses did not play in this contest, so Bryant drew the start after putting together a strong body of work early on in training camp. With Will Campbell and Jared Wilson starting at left tackle and left guard, respectively, the Patriots had three rookie starters on their o-line.
Moses will start at right tackle for New England when Week 1 rolls around, but it was telling to see Bryant start in the preseason opener. When asked about the decision to start Bryant, Vrabel offered a strong review of the former Missouri Tigers star.
“I think he earned it,” Vrabel explained when speaking with reporters. “I think that when they switched over and he had some snaps on the left at the beginning of the training camp, I think moving him over to the right, I thought he did well, especially in the joint practices, earned that opportunity and continues to improve. He’ll have to play both sides for us.”
“I kind of liked Marcus. He’s kind of a happy, lucky-go kid, and I think there’s a lot of good football in front of him.”
There’s been a lot of attention on both Campbell and Wilson so far in camp, but Bryant has also managed to stand out in the early going. As this move indicates, he’s creeping closer towards roster lock status as a depth option for the Patriots at the tackle position.
Shoring up the offensive line was one of the biggest goals the Patriots had over the offseason. Hitting on a seventh-round pick would be a huge help for the team, and while it’s still early, the initial returns on Bryant are quite encouraging.
