The New England Patriots have offensive line issues this week, as four starting offensive linemen will be out for Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans. Right tackle Trent Brown was placed on injured reserve with a calf injury and right guard Shaq Mason (abdomen) was already declared out for the contest, but New England received even more bad news Saturday.
New England did not activate left tackle Isaiah Wynn or left guard Mike Onwenu off of the reserve/COVID-19 list, so they are out for Sunday’s game. Center David Andrews will be the only starter on the offensive line available for the Week 5 matchup.
The Patriots elevated three offensive linemen — James Ferentz, Alex Redmond, and William Sherman — to the active roster. Two of those spots were COVID roster replacements. Redmond is projected to get the starting nod at right guard, making his elevation to the roster significant for New England. Veteran Ted Karras is projected to start at left guard with Onwenu out.
“Whoever has the opportunity, I’m sure they’ll make the most of it” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said Friday. “And I know the guys that have been at practice are working as hard as they can to be ready to go, and the guys that did are, likewise, preparing, and if they get the opportunity, I think they’ll be ready to go, too, so we’ll see how it all plays out. I don’t know.”
The offensive line combination will be an interesting one, as Justin Herron and Yasir Durant are the next tackles on the depth chart. Both are projected to start with Yodny Cajuste backing them up as the No. 3 tackle.
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