No doubt, the Patriots have been able to tap-dance around their depth problem for most of the season to this point by having the good fortune to mostly avoid major injuries. While the frontline roster has performed well, the team has long known it has issues when it comes to the backups. As long as the backups did not have to play, there was no problem. But this weekend’s spate of injuries, especially to tackle Will Campbell, means that their luck has run out.
In addition to defensive lineman Milton Williams being on the shelf for four games, minimum, with a high ankle sprain (he is on IR), the Patriots have now lost Campbell for an as-yet undetermined stretch, as well as guard Jared Wilson (ankle sprain).
The Patriots plugged in Vederian Lowe at tackle and Ben Brown at guard to finish out the Bengals game. But the Patriots may not have a lot of confidence in that as a long-term fix, as shown on Tuesday with a series of roster moves meant to beef up the depth on the line.
Patriots Bringing Back Thayer Munford Jr.
The big name is 26-year-old Thayer Munford Jr., and while he won’t be suiting up in the Pro Bowl anytime soon, he is a guy the Patriots know well and have a comfort level with at left tackle. Munford was a seventh-round draft pick by the Raiders in 2022, when Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was the head coach in Las Vegas. Munford started eight games in a season-and-a-half for McDaniels.
McDaniels thought enough of him that the Patriots brought Munford right after he was made a final-day cut by the Raiders in August. But Cleveland signed Munford to the 53-man roster off the New England practice squad in September. The Browns demoted him again to the practice squad last month, though, giving the Patriots their chance to make a move on him.
Per the Patriots’ release, Munford has played, “46 NFL games with 18 starts with 11 at right tackle, five at left tackle and two as a tackle-eligible tight end.”
Confidence Level in Will Campbell, Jared Wilson Replacements?
The Patriots also added guard Bill Murray, a former UDFA who was in New England, mostly on the practice squad, from 2020-23 before spending last season with the Bears. Murray has made only four NFL appearances.
To make room for the pair, the Patriots moved cornerback Alex Austin to the injured reserve and released veteran running back Jonathan Ward.
While the Patriots themselves might not have overwhelming confidence in Lowe and Brown on the left side of the line, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was certainly trying to hype them up a bit during his appearance on WEEI in Boston this week.
“All those reps we got last year, those are gonna pay off,” Maye said. “[They’ve] made me comfortable when they do get reps in practice. … That’s the biggest thing I tell them — ‘I trust you guys.’”
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