Tag: Michael Onwenu

Here’s what position Patriots OL Mike Onwenu is expected to play moving forward

Guard or tackle? What position will Patriots OL Mike Onwenu play in 2024?

New England Patriots offensive lineman Michael Onwenu signed a three-year, $57 million deal to return to the team that drafted him. However, some have wondered what position he could potentially play considering he has worked in at both tackle and guard for the team.

Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Onwenu is expected to be the Patriots’ starting right tackle moving forward.

Onwenu has been a fixture on the New England offensive line ever since he was drafted by the organization in 2020. His ability to compete at both the tackle and guard spots has made him invaluable for the Patriots’ struggling offense.

But now, it appears he’s officially locking in as an NFL offensive tackle.

New England’s offensive line is going to need stability moving forward, particularly if they have a rookie quarterback under center. At the very least, Onwenu’s presence at tackle is half of the puzzle solved for one of the Patriots’ biggest positions of need.

Mike Onwenu gets mega deal to re-sign with New England Patriots

Holy cow, way to go, Big Mike! #GoBlue

As free agency opened for the NFL on Monday, the first former Michigan football player to do well for themselves was Graham Glasgow, who got $20 million on a three-year deal to stay with the Detroit Lions. Not to be outdone, Jon Runyan Jr. was lured away by a three-year deal for $30 million to leave the Green Bay Packers for the New York Giants.

But it’s Michael Onwenu who is outdoing them all.

Later on Monday, Onwenu agreed to stay with the New England Patriots, the team that drafted him. He’ll also be signing a three-year deal, but for a staggering $57 million. Of that, there’s a $22.5 million signing bonus and $38 million is guaranteed.

A sixth-round pick in 2020, Onwenu couldn’t even join the Patriots after being drafted due to COVID, instead having to learn the playbook from his apartment in Ann Arbor, awaiting the day he was able to report to Foxborough. He’s been something of a linchpin for the New England offensive line, playing all over, starting his rookie year, working as a plug-and-play lineman who could play any of the five positions.

Chargers named ‘best team fit’ for OL Mike Onwenu

Jim Harbaugh coached Michael Onwenu at Michigan.

The Chargers’ offensive line is in need of a revamp, and ESPN’s Matt Bowen believes Patriots’ Michael Onwenu is a player who can add some talent. 

Here is why Bowen believes Los Angeles is the best fit for Onwenu:

Besides left tackle Rashawn Slater, the Chargers are devoid of offensive line talent. Coach Jim Harbaugh would love to add a 6-foot-3, 330-pound people-mover in the run game. And Onwenu proved with the Patriots this season that he also has the ability to hold an anchor in pass protection at either guard or right tackle, which would help Justin Herbert. Los Angeles has to get better up front this offseason, so look for the club to make some cuts in order to clear cap space and address this unit.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh will want to do everything possible to improve the run game, and what better way to do so than by adding a people-mover like Onwenu to the roster? 

Additionally, Harbaugh is familiar with Onwenu, having been his coach at Michigan from 2016 to 2019.

Onwenu is coming off his rookie contract with New England, and he is a player who can offer solutions at guard and right tackle.

It’s vital that Los Angeles make changes up front to help improve the offense, and the organization will look to make some cuts to clear up cap space to pursue players like Onwenu. 

Patriots offense banged up with season opener days away

Health is still a concern for the Patriots’ offense heading into the season opener.

The New England Patriots had three limited participants for Thursday’s practice with the regular season opener just three days away.

Offensive lineman Michael Onwenu was limited with an ankle injury, while wide receiver DeVante Parker and guard Cole Stange were limited because of knee injuries.

All three injuries are certainly worth monitoring. Onwenu and Strange are crucial for the success of the offensive line. The two did not play over the course of the preseason, and it appears the injuries are still nagging.

Parker has been limited since a training camp practice at the end of August. His health has been uncertain over the past couple of weeks, and the fact that he’s still limited in practice adds to it. He was a key contributor for the team in the passing attack last season, recording 31 catches for 539 yards and three touchdowns.

None of this is promising news for a Patriots offense getting ready to face a tough Philadelphia Eagles team in Week 1 on Sunday.

There’s also the very real possibility that the team is just taking standard precautions with expectations of all three players being available at kick-off.

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Stock up, stock down for Patriots ahead of preseason opener

Who’s stock is up and who’s stock is down for the Patriots?

The New England Patriots are approaching their first preseason game of the 2023 season on Thursday, which will be an important test for every player on the 90-man roster. Each player is fighting for a role and an opportunity to make the 53-man roster.

As each week passes, we will be taking a look at players or position groups and breaking down how they have been performing this summer.

Stock watching is a way of sharing what we see and how a player is performing or building off of their past performances. Generally, the more a stock drops, the lower their roster lock status becomes.

As with all roster moves, there are multiple facets that get taken into consideration, like contracts, draft status and positional need. Let’s take a look at who is up and who is down in the Patriots’ stock watch.

6 takeaways from Day 10 of Patriots training camp practice

The Patriots were back on the practice field after a day off. Here are six takeaways from Day 10 of Patriots training camp.

After taking a Saturday off, it was back to work for the New England Patriots for Day 10 of training camp practice on Sunday.

The team is slated to face the Houston Texans in their preseason opener on Thursday night. So everything they’re doing from here on out is clearly in preparation for that game.

There were several players, including multiple starters, missing from practice. Some have been on the list since the start of training camp, while others are popping up for the very first time. Here’s the full list of absences:

G Michael Onwenu

ST Cody Davis

C David Andrews

CB Jonathan Jones

ST Matthew Slater

G Cole Strange

RB/WR Ty Montgomery

OT Calvin Anderson

Offensive tackle Trent Brown did not participate in team drills, but he was on the field. Let’s take a look at six observations from Sunday’s training camp practice.

5 takeaways from Day 9 of Patriots training camp practice

Things were significantly lighter on Day 9 for the Patriots. Here are five takeaways from Friday’s practice.

After back-to-back padded practices, the intensity came down significantly in Day 9 of the New England Patriots’ training camp.

The players practiced in front of fans at Gillette Stadium in shorts. It could mostly be considered a walkthrough with the team focusing more on situational football than actual competitive team drills.

This wasn’t necessarily the most exciting practice from a competitive standpoint. However, business is expected to pick back up next week with the Patriots preparing for their preseason opener against the Houston Texans on Thursday, Aug. 10.

Let’s jump into some notes from Friday’s stadium training camp practice for the Patriots.

5 takeaways from Day 5 of Patriots training camp practice

Here’s how Day 5 of training camp looked for the Patriots

There was a different feeling in the air on Monday with the pads coming on for the first time at New England Patriots’ training camp.

It felt like real football with the clanging and banging of shoulder pads and helmets. The offense was looking to build on some of the success they started to show on Sunday, while the defense wanted to continue making life difficult for quarterback Mac Jones and company.

The Patriots had six players in total missing in practice with Ty Montgomery, Cody Davis, Michael Onwenu, Calvin Anderson, Jake Andrews and Terez Hall being out. Matthew Judon, Trent Brown and Rhamondre Stevenson were also limited.

Here are five takeaways from Day 5 of training camp;

The NFL’s 12 best interior offensive linemen

From Wyatt Teller to Jason Kelce, here are the 12 best interior offensive linemen in the NFL today.

Of all the players who factor heavily into a football team’s success, guards and centers are often the most overlooked. Unless you’re working with advanced metrics, there are no statistics to speak of, and unless you have access to overhead and (especially) end zone footage, it’s hard to discern what these guys are doing that is so important.

But those in the know, know better. Centers control the entire offense — they make protection calls, they align with their quarterbacks both intellectually and literally on every snap, and they have to take the brunt of the opponent’s decisions to point one or more large angry men in their exact directions.

Guards are often the athletes of their offensive lines as much as tackles are — it’s just a different kind of athleticism. Whether on the left or right side, these big guys had better be able to execute inside and outside zone, man-based snaps in which it’s mano a mano, and all kinds of combinations in which it’s important to coordinate with others.

So, in the spirit of giving these fine gentlemen more play in the court of public opinion. we continue our position lists for the 2023 season with the 12 best interior offensive linemen in the NFL today.

In a recent version of “The Xs and Os” with Greg Cosell, Greg (of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup) and Doug Farrar (of Touchdown Wire) got into the attributes for guards and centers at the elite level.

Centers:

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Guards:

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In addition to this list, you can read all of our position rankings for the 2023 NFL season, on the way to our late August list of the 101 best players in the league today.

The NFL’s top 11 offensive tackles
The NFL’s top 11 interior defensive linemen
The NFL’s top 11 edge defenders
The NFL’s top 11 linebackers
The NFL’s top 11 slot defenders
The NFL’s top 11 cornerbacks
The NFL’s top 11 safeties

And now, the 12 best interior offensive linemen in the NFL today.

(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions unless otherwise indicated). 

6 takeaways from Day 4 of Patriots training camp practice

Takeaways from Day 4 of Patriots training camp

The New England Patriots were back on the field on Sunday for their fourth  training camp practice.

There was more red zone work in this practice, but coach Bill Belichick did open things up a bit more, which seemed to help the offense.

It’s still clear that the offense struggles when the field shortens, but they showed a bit more life when there was more room to work in competitive drills.

Offensive guard Michael Onwenu, running back Ty Montgomery, offensive tackle Calvin Anderson and special teamer Cody Davis were still absent from practice. Meanwhile, rookie center/guard Jake Andrews and wideout Kayshon Boutte were the newest additions to the list.

Here are six takeaways from Day 4 of Patriots training camp: