Pats Pulpit
In the aftermath of their Week 12 win in Cincinnati, which saw several players go down with injuries, the New England Patriots made a series of transactions. On Tuesday, the team signed offensive tackle Thayer Munford Jr. from the Cleveland Browns practice squad to its active roster, sent cornerback Alex Austin to injured reserve, and brought back interior offensive lineman Bill Murray to take a spot on the practice squad previously held by now-released running back Jonathan Ward.
Let’s analyze the moves, focusing on the two additions as well as Austin going to IR.
Will Campbell effect: Patriots left tackle Will Campbell suffered a reported MCL sprain in the third quarter of. Sunday’s win over the Bengals, and as a consequence is expected to miss multiple weeks. How exactly the Patriots will replace him remains to be seen — Vederian Lowe took over versus Cincinnati — but the overall depth of the group quickly became an issue once the first-round pick did not immediately get up. With Munford Jr. now in the mix, the Patriots have four healthy offensive tackles remaining on their 53-man roster: Lowe and Munford Jr. are being joined by Morgan Moses and Marcus Bryant, the starter and backup at right tackle, respectively. Campbell, of course, is a candidate to be moved to injured reserve ahead of next Monday’s game against the New York Giants.
Experienced addition: Munford Jr. originally entered the NFL as a seventh-round draft pick with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022 and since then has appeared in 18 NFL games with 10 starts. His experience at the pro level also includes a brief stint on the New England practice squad earlier this year, as well as his two months in Cleveland. His time with the Patriots, as well as with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels early in his career, should make for a relatively smooth transition into a new but not unfamiliar environment.
Positional versatility: On paper, the 26-year-old will help bolster the depth at left tackle with Campbell out for the foreseeable future: he has 245 regular season snaps at the position on his career résumé. However, Munford Jr. also has garnered significant experience elsewhere. During his NFL career so far, he has played 688 snaps at right tackle and an additional 155 as an in-line tight end. That latter role might be his quickest way onto the field in New England given that Vederian Lowe has sporadically served as a jumbo tight end throughout the year — a role he would be unavailable for if he was inserted as the starting left tackle.
Salary cap impact: Unless the Patriots have decided to sign him to more than a minimum salary deal for a player of his experience — an unlikely move — Munford Jr’s base salary after joining them will be $1.1 million. With only six weeks remaining in the 2025 regular season, however, his actual cap impact is only $366,667. As a...
