Tag: Mike Onwenu

Madden 24: See the ratings for entire Patriots roster

Did Madden get the Patriots’ ratings right this year?

We are closing in on the start of the 2023 regular season, which means only one thing: It’s Madden season.

With the recent release of EA’s “Madden NFL 24”, the New England Patriots weren’t given much respect at all as far as the player ratings are concerned. Sadly, that’s what happens when a team is an absolute mess and misses the playoffs.

But there is hope for things to be better this time around with all of the new additions to the roster, including the return of Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator. The team also made the big splash signing at running back with former two-time NFL leading rusher Ezekiel Elliott joining an offensive backfield that already had burgeoning star rusher Rhamondre Stevenson.

Elliott isn’t listed as a Patriots running back on this list, but that will surely change in a future update. For now, let’s take a look at the overall rating for every Patriots player on the Madden 24 roster.

Bill Belichick gives update on Patriots G Mike Onwenu

Mike Onwenu gets an injury update.

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick provided an update on the health status of starting right guard Mike Onwenu on Monday.

Onwenu, who is currently on the PUP list, is being considered day-by-day with no concrete news on his availability for the season opener on September 10.

The fact that Onwenu is day-to-day shows progress, but there are still concerns he might not be back in time for the opener against the Philadelphia Eagles. He had a major part on the New England offensive line last season after moving to right guard. The fourth-year lineman finished with a 79.3 overall PFF.com grade, while also ranking as one of the top-10 best players at the position ahead of the 2023 season.

Riley Reiff worked in at right guard at a recent training camp practice. That could be the Patriots’ way of shoring up a potential hole along the offensive front with a reliable veteran in Onwenu’s place.

It isn’t necessarily ideal, but it might be the best option the Patriots have right now.

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How Mike Onwenu’s expiring contract could play out with Patriots

Will the Patriots reach a contract extension with starting guard Mike Onwenu?

The New England Patriots struck gold in 2020 when they selected a Michigan Wolverine in the sixth round of the NFL draft. Stop me if you’ve heard that one before.

Mike Onwenu bounced between right tackle and right guard, before finally settling in at right guard last season.

Although right guard is his more natural fit, he played right tackle earlier in his career due to need. Even though the Patriots have a glaring need at right tackle and a surging rookie at guard with Atonio Mafi, they want to keep Onwenu right where he is.

That decision, although puzzling, is well understood across the league. Onwenu is wildly viewed as one of the best guards in all of football, and he has improved every single year since 2020. He is up for a new contract, and the Patriots have yet to make any headway on it.

Many, including myself, want them to lock up Onwenu sooner than later, as the price for good versatile linemen continues to rise. That, and, the Patriots have a ton of cap space after 2023 with other roster spots to fill. They should without a doubt spend the cash on an elite, homegrown player, who’s job is to protect the most important player, the quarterback.

Unfortunately, the writing may be on the wall, as the Patriots rarely give any player a second contract. They feel that their scouting and development teams are better than most at identifying talent in the later draft rounds, especially on the offensive line.

The Patriots recently let Joe Thuney and Ted Karras walk, while also trading Shaq Mason to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They clearly feel they can revamp the line on the fly, rather than having money tied to good veterans they developed. Onwenu could be the latest casualty to this philosophy.

That’s unless Matt Groh has anything to say about it. Groh has slowly taken more and more control behind the scenes in player personnel, allowing Belichick to control the team operations. Perhaps he could get a deal done.

In the 2023 NFL draft, the Patriots selected Mafi, an offensive guard from UCLA, and he has quickly shot up the depth chart, which is a sign that the team could be ready to let Onwenu walk. Onwenu had surgery in the offseason and has been on the PUP list since the start of camp.

The absences of both Onwenu and Cole Strange, who is dealing with a leg injury, has allowed Mafi to work at both left and right guard.

If Groh is truly in charge, it might make sense to pay Onwenu like a tackle, move him back to right tackle and allow Mafi to take the reins at right guard moving forward.

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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.

Only one Patriots player cracks 2023 top 100 NFL players list

Are the Patriots being overlooked?

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New England Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon was the lone Patriot that cracked CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco’s top 100 NFL players of 2023 list.

Judon has established himself as one of the NFL’s best pass-rushers over the last couple seasons. The 2022 campaign was no exception. He recorded 15.5 sacks on the season, in addition to 60 combined tackles. He was the anchor of a Patriots’ pass-rushing unit that ranked third in the league with 54 sacks on the year.

Another Patriots player received an honorable mention, as guard Michael Onwenu was able to get recognition. He played in all 17 games last season, although he did struggle at times. Nevertheless, he looks to bounce back under the direction of new offensive line coach Adrian Klemm.

These honors could help set the table for both players in their efforts to have strong 2023 seasons. The Patriots will look to bounce back in their own right after missing the playoffs for the second time in three years.

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What does Ex-Patriot Shaq Mason’s new contract mean for Mike Onwenu?

Will Shaq Mason’s new deal impact ongoing negotiations between the Patriots and Mike Onwenu?

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Former New England Patriots offensive lineman Shaq Mason signed a brand new, three-year, $36 million contract with $22 million in guaranteed money with the Houston Texans on Wednesday.

Mason, 29, was acquired by the Texans in March, almost a year after the Patriots shipped him off to Tampa Bay to shore up the line in front of Tom Brady. With Brady now retired and the Buccaneers likely in a rebuild, they shipped off an elite guard to a team looking to protect their young quarterback, who we now know is C.J. Stroud..

With Michael Onwenu entering a contract year after performing well above his sixth-round pick status, the Patriots may have an understanding of the guard floor for that next contract.

In a previous article, I mentioned that the Patriots may be planning for life without Onwenu, but if they wish to retain young, homegrown talent, it feels like a contract of four years, $48 million is the starting point for the team in negotiations.

Onwenu is at the top of his position in terms of play and will likely cash in during the 2024 free agency period. However, with the Patriots only having 39 players under contract for 2024 and an estimated $100 million in cap space, they have the means to make it work. Even more so, the NFL salary cap continues to rise year after year with new money. So a $12-$14 million guard contract may seem silly now, but in a few years, the market will eventually even out.

The only thing that may hinder any contract negotiations is if the Patriots philosophically believe in their approach to draft the next guy and replace outgoing linemen, like they did with Ted Karras and Joe Thuney.

Frankly, I find that to be a good approach when you’re getting close to the cap, but with a 25-year-old, elite guard that has tackle flexibility sitting on the roster, they should do right and extend him early.

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Patriots’ 5-step plan for a successful 2023 offseason

Here’s a five-step offseason plan that could turn the Patriots back into contenders.

The New England Patriots are already well into offseason planning, mainly focused on the NFL draft, while also determining who of their own to retain or let walk in free agency.

As simple as it may sound, there are numerous combinations of moves that could occur this offseason.

This offseason, there is an optimal, five-step plan that should see the Patriots returning to the playoffs in 2023. Hiring Bill O’Brien was the first major step for the team to take. Now with a proven offensive mind in the building, the Patriots will look to fill multiple holes on that side of the ball.

However, the issues don’t stop there, and like every team, there will always be improvements to make.

Let’s get into the five-step plan for a successful Patriots 2023 offseason.

How much would extension for elite offensive guard Michael Onwenu cost Patriots?

A Michael Onwenu extension probably won’t come cheap for the Patriots, and deservingly so.

It’s no doubt that the New England Patriots struggled along the offensive front throughout the 2022 season, However, one of their true bright spots for the team has been right guard Michael Onwenu.

The former sixth-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft has been a stud ever since he was selected out of the University of Michigan. With the Patriots already looking to build a cohesive offensive line this offseason, they could at least check one monumental move off the box by extending the former Wolverine with a new contract.

Onwenu is in the last year of his rookie deal, and it carries a cap hit of a little over $1 million. Since joining the Patriots, he has only allowed six sacks and has been penalized just six times. Without a doubt, it’s an impressive feat that has earned him PFF Grades of 75.2 pass blocking and 82.4 run blocking over his career.

Typically, guards of his age (25) and production have signed deals around $15 million average annual value (AAV). I think the Patriots could extend him for five years, $75 million with $30 million fully guaranteed. That’s typically in line with what other elite (yes, elite) guards have signed over the past few seasons.

This new deal would put Onwenu in the top-six for all guards in the NFL, behind other players like Quenton Nelson, Elgton Jenkins, Brandon Scherff, Joe Thuney, and Joel Bitonio.

It would be a well-deserved pay raise for an impact player that could help stabilize a unit that’ll need plenty of help keeping Patriots quarterback Mac Jones upright.

 

Estimated Contract: 5 years $75m, $30m guaranteed. Signed through 2028.

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Way too early Patriots’ 7-round 2023 mock draft

Who did the Patriots pick up in this 2023 NFL mock draft simulation?

The NFL season is not quite over, but it’s never too early for 2023 mock drafts, especially considering how disappointing the 2022 season has been up to this point.

One thing is for certain: the Patriots have some draft capital to build on their successes over the last few drafts of adding key players like Kyle Dugger, Josh Uche, Mike Onwenu, Mac Jones, Christian Barmore, Rhamondre Stevenson, Cole Strange, Marcus Jones, Jack Jones and Bailey Zappe.

Although the jury is still out on most of the 2021 and 2022 draft classes, there is some positive success being built since Matt Groh transitioned into owning the draft process.

Today, we’ll see how 2023 could potentially shake out with a way too early seven-round mock draft with only two weeks left in the regular season. For reference, the Pro Football Network mock draft simulator was used for this draft, and the draft slots are projected as of 12/23/2022.

Injury-plagued Patriots missing nine players at Tuesday’s practice

Nine players were missing at Tuesday’s practice for the Patriots.

The New England Patriots returned to practice on Tuesday, following their disappointing loss to the Buffalo Bills, and there were more than just a few missing faces on the field.

A combination of injuries and sickness have decimated the team in the final stretch of the regular season.

The good news is they’ve had extra rest time with their upcoming Monday Night Football game against the Arizona Cardinals coming after their second consecutive Thursday Night Football appearance. So they’ve had all weekend to sit back, relax and begin implementing the necessary changes to hopefully bounce back from consecutive losses to the Bills and Minnesota Vikings.

Of course, a big indicator of that will be their ability to stay healthy, which has been increasingly hard for them to do lately. They were missing nine players at practice on Tuesday, including multiple standout players on both sides of the ball.

There’s still plenty of time for the Patriots to get right ahead of their showdown with the Cardinals.

Even with their 6-6 record, they are still very much in the AFC playoff hunt as the eighth seed behind a New York Jets team they’ve already beaten twice and own a tiebreaker against.

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