New England Patriots - NESN.com
It was only three years ago when the New England Patriots selected Cole Strange with the 29th overall pick during the 2022 NFL Draft.
Now, according to Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski, the 27-year-old guard’s relationship has a chance of ending this summer.
The NFL analyst wrote an article titled “Biggest Names on 2025 NFL Roster Bubble Who Could Be Cut” on Tuesday, including Strange among the seven candidates.
“Three years (after being drafted), Strange is on the roster bubble after a third-round rookie seemingly took his spot in the lineup,” Sobleski said. “Jared Wilson, who was a collegiate center, has regularly gotten reps at left guard with the Patriots’ first-team offense in training camp.”
Strange started all 17 games for New England during his rookie campaign and picked up 10 more starts in 2023, before suffering a season-ending torn patellar tendon in Week 15 against the Kansas City Chiefs. He missed most of the 2024 campaign due to the injury but was eventually activated off the physically unable to perform (PUP) list in December. Strange played three games last season and made two starts.
Now, with the likes of Jared Wilson, sixth-year pro Michael Onwenu and others filling out the Patriots depth chart, Sobleski said that Strange “isn’t needed.”
“With Wilson and Michael Onwenu at guard, as well as Layden Robinson and Sidy Sow to serve as backups, Strange isn’t needed,” he wrote. “The team has asked him to take some reps at center, but Wilson can shift back over the ball if an injury occurs. It’s nearing the point where Strange can be viewed as a first-round bust since he’s yet to even make it through his rookie contract.”
