The New England Patriots were busy rebuilding their offensive line last offseason, bringing in new starters at four of the five positions. And while it appears three are set for 2026, there are some serious questions at the other two: left guard and center are seemingly up in the air.
Will changes really happen, though? Time will tell. For now, let’s preview what the Patriots have available along their interior O-line heading toward the new league year.
Patriots interior offensive line depth chart
Jared Wilson: A center in college, Wilson joined the Patriots in the third round of the draft and by early training camp had risen to the top spot at the left guard depth chart. He never looked back. While he did play some inconsistent football at times and missed four combined games during the season, the team stuck with him all the way to the end. No rookie on the offensive side of the ball had played more snaps that him when all was said and done. | Signed (2029 UFA) | $1.41M cap hit
Garrett Bradbury: The Patriots scooped the longtime Vikings starting center up after he was released by the team, inserting him into their own starting lineup right out of the gate. Bradbury never left, and started all 17 regular season games as well as all four of his new team’s playoff contests. Was he any good, though? Yes, for the most part he was, especially considering that he also was responsible for getting his four fellow O-linemen — who, again, had never played together before 2025 — on the same page. | Signed (2027 UFA) | $6.9M cap hit
Mike Onwenu: Out of all the offensive linemen on the Patriots’ roster, you probably heard Mike Onwenu’s name the least in 2025. That is not a bad thing per se, but it also meant that one of the best and most consistent performers on the entire roster largely flew under the radar. Onwenu started all 21 of New England’s games and finished with a playing time share of 99.1% — the highest on the team on either side of the ball. | Signed (2027 UFA) | $25.0M cap hit
Ben Brown: Brown earned a two-year, $5 million contract extension during the regular season, and for good reason. While his starting upside seems limited, he has proven himself a capable backup at guard and, should the need call for it, center. In total, he played 21 game in 2025 with four starts, all in place of an injured Jared Wilson at left guard. | Signed (2028 UFA) | $1.97M cap hit
Caedan Wallace: A third-round draft pick in 2024, Wallace was moved from tackle to guard under the Patriots’ new-look coaching staff. He showed enough promise to earn a roster spot, but outside of eight snaps in a Week 17 blowout win over the Jets saw no offensive playing time. In fact, he saw any snaps whatsoever in just four contests — he finished with 24 special teams reps — and spent most of 2025 as a healthy scratch and emergency option. | Signed (2028 UFA) | $1.65M cap hit
Andrew Rupcich: Originally entering the NFL with the Mike Vrabel-led Titans in 2022, Rupcich was signed by the Patriots just one day after Tennessee cut him in late September. He spent the rest of the 2025 season on the practice squad but did not see any game action before signing a reserve/futures pact. | Signed (2027 ERFA) | $1.08M cap hit
Mehki Butler: Butler joined the Patriots as a rookie free agent after the 2025 draft but began his first year in the NFL on the practice squad. He eventually was released, re-signed, and kept on a futures deal after the season ended. His snap total so far still reads zero, though. | Signed (2027 ERFA) | $885k cap hit
Patriots offseason preview
Looking at each individual contract situation along the Patriots interior offensive line, they could run back the same group they used in 2025 and hope for some natural development in its second season together. Will that happen, though? That’s not a certainty, as mentioned above.
The two positions to watch are left guard and center.
While not facing the same scrutiny as fellow rookie Will Campbell, Jared Wilson was arguably the weakest link along the offensive line in 2025. Part of it was his lack of experience both going against NFL competition and within a revamped group, but his move to guard also might have factored into this; center still appears to be Wilson’s best position and moving him to the middle might allow him to reach his full potential.
Of course, that would leave Garrett Bradbury on the outs. At a $6.9 million cap hit with just $1.2 million in remaining guarantees, letting him go would make fiscal sense, and with Wilson presumably a higher-upside option it would make football sense too.
Even if that happened, though, questions would remain. Who, for example, would play left guard? A free agency signing such as Isaac Seumalo, Zion Johnson or David Edwards, or yet another rookie? Maybe Ben Brown or Caedan Wallace are options? And would Wilson truly be an upgrade over a seasoned vet like Bradbury?
In addition, to those spots, there would be an argument for moving on from Mike Onwenu as well. He is entering the final year of the three-year extension he signed in 2024, after all, and carries a $25 million cap number — third-highest on the team — versus “only” $7.5 million in potential dead cap.
Given his high level of play and the questions elsewhere on the line, however, working out an extension to lower his cap hit might be the more sensible approach when it comes to the 28-year-old.
Still, the fact that that particular question remains speaks for the uncertainty the Patriots are facing up front.