The New England Patriots have taken body blow after body blow when it comes to the health of their offensive tackles. They've lost four offensive guards to injuries so far (Mike Onwenu - ankle, Greg Van Roten - knee, Alijah Vera-Tucker - hamstring, Ben Brown - knee), really pushing that unit to the limit.
So it comes as no surprise that the Patriots are trying to cross every t and dot every i when it comes to the offensive line position this week. After signing familiar faces Andrew Rupcich and Jacob Rizy to the practice squad, they're also hosting a veteran guard on a visit to the facility.
According to NFL insider Aaron Wilson, the Patriots hosted Jamaree Salyer on a visit. Salyer, a Los Angeles Chargers' sixth round pick back in 2022, spent the summer with the Miami Dolphins and has remained a free agent since being released in August.
Could the Patriots sign Sayler to help add some much-needed depth to their depleted offensive line? They certainly could. This visit could also tip the Patriots' hands when it comes to the health of some of their banged-up players.
Salyer Has Played Plenty Of NFL Games
Salyer was a great player at Georgia in college, and was teammates with current Patriots center Jared Wlson. Since being drafted in 2022, Salyer suited up for 67 total games with the Chargers — 43 of those games were starters. He's gotten experience at several spots on the line, starting games at left tackle and right guard during his career.
The 26-year-old then signed with the Dolphins in the offseason, but a knee injury led to him being placed on IR. The Patriots' division rival would go on to release him from IR with an injury settlement.
Salyer was primarily a backup in recent seasons, but his versatility is a nice thing to keep in your back pocket if you're the Patriots. He's 6-foot-4, 325 pounds and could help add some much-needed depth while the statuses of some of your players hangs in the balance.
Last season with Los Angeles, Salyer recorded a 69.0 pass blocking grade and 61.5 run blocking grade (according to Pro Football Focus). He played 449 total snaps, allowing 19 pressures and four sacks.
Patriots OL Keeps Getting Knocked Down
The Patriots have plenty of offensive linemen in the building right now, but you'd be hard pressed to find some that aren't dealing with an injury of some sort. They've already ruled out Vera-Tucker and Brown for tonight's primetime game against the Chicago Bears, and still haven't activated offensive tackle Marcus Bryant (ankle) from IR.
There are plenty of depth pieces on the practice squad (Rupcich, Rizy, Xavier Newman-Johnson, Jake Kubas, Lorenz Metz), but none of those options are players that feel like an easy plug and play on any given Sunday. Salyer — who played against the Patriots in last year's AFC Wild Card game — has more of an opportunity to do so.
As it stands right now, the Patriots are set to roll with Walter Rouse (left guard) and Matt Pryor (right guard) in the starting lineup, two players who weren't on the roster three months ago. In case one of them goes down, the Patriots will need to find some sort of break glass in case of emergency plan.
Could that plan end up being Salyer?
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