Pats Pulpit
The Patriots signed the two offensive linemen to new contracts on Thursday.
Even with the NFL offseason in full swing, the New England Patriots are keeping busy. After parting ways with linebacker Sione Takitaki on Wednesday, the team re-signed a pair of offensive linemen on Thursday: offensive tackle Demontrey Jacobs and center Ben Brown will both be back with the Patriots in 2025.
Jacobs and Brown were both headed for exclusive rights free agency. Instead, they put their signatures under one-year tenders in order to stay put rather than enter the open market in mid-March.
Let’s assess what the signings mean for the team.
The Patriots re-signing Jacobs and Brown means they now have 13 offensive linemen under contract for the 2025 season. While that gives them a solid basis to work with, especially considering that teams have 90 roster spots available during the offseason, the moves are just the first steps being taken by the team along its offensive line.
Fact is, after all, the line was a major issue in 2024 and investments beyond low-level re-signings will be necessary. What those will look like remains to be seen, but anything other than New England targeting both the outside and the inside in free agency and/or the draft would be a shocker — even with Jacobs and Brown remaining in the fold.
Jacobs and Brown returning at the very least means that two more players — both of whom offering starting experience — will be part of the Patriots’ offensive line mix heading into 2025. While the two are probably best suited to serve as developmental backup options at this point in their respective careers, having them around in case of emergency is not the worst thing considering the current alternatives.
The Patriots’ offensive line, after all, looks like this right now:
Offensive tackles (5): Vederian Lowe (59), Demontrey Jacobs (75), Caedan Wallace (70), Sidy Sow (62), Caleb Jones (76)
Interior offensive line (8): David Andrews (60), Michael Onwenu (71), Cole Strange (69), Layden Robinson (64), Ben Brown (77), Jake Andrews (67), Lecitus Smith (68), Tyrese Robinson (65)
Free agents (1): Lester Cotton (RFA)
Out of the 13 signed lineman listed here, only one — guard/tackle hybrid Michael Onwenu — can be considered a safe bet to be part of the 53-man team come the regular season. The other 12, meanwhile, will have to fight for spots on the team with whoever else will be joining the room over the next few months.
That includes Jacobs and Brown, despite the new deals they just signed.
The Patriots tendering Jacobs and Brown as exclusive rights free agents means that their cap hits for 2025 will depend on their number of credited seasons. In Jacobs’ case that is one, resulting in a cap hit of $960,000; Brown has two such seasons on his résumé for a cap number of $1.03 million.
Both of those...
