New England Patriots

3 things to know about new Patriots lineman Luke Bowanko

Luke Bowanko
Baltimore Ravens offensive guard Luke Bowanko before a game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns. AP Photo/Ron Schwane

By Mark Dunphy

3 minutes to read

The Patriots signed former Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman Luke Bowanko to a one-year deal on Wednesday. Bowanko will reportedly make $835,000 next season as he jostles for position on the center and guard depth chart.

The 6-foot-6, 300 pound native of Clifton, Virginia joins the Patriots after one season in Baltimore and three in Jacksonville. The Jaguars selected Bowanko out of the University of Virginia in the sixth round of the 2014 draft (205th overall).

Here’s what you need to know about the Patriots’ new offensive lineman:

His rookie season was his best

In his first NFL campaign, Bowanko earned a starting nod in Week 2 and made the most of the opportunity as he held down the role for the rest of the season. However, after his final start of that year, against the Houston Texans on December 28, 2014, he would not start another game until November 19, 2017. Injuries, including a torn labrum in his hip that landed him on the injured reserve list, limited Bowanko to eight appearances in 2015 and 2016. The Ravens traded for him in September and he saw time in all 16 games for Baltimore, making one start.

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The Patriots are scheduled to face the Ravens next season, but if Bowanko treats this trade like he did the last he won’t be motivated by revenge.

“When you’re in the position of being on a new team and you’re trying to earn the respect of the locker room and you’re trying to help the team win, you do what you can to help them,” he said before a matchup agains the Jaguars last season. “Obviously, I have a bunch of friends and former teammates over there, but I’m going out there to win a football and contribute in any way that I can.”

Bowanko can give and take a joke

Although he sometimes objects to being the butt of a joke, the lineman should be prepared to handle Bill Belichick’s playbook of ‘sick burns.’ In 2016, Bowanko was watching his Cavaliers compete in the ACC baseball tournament when he decided to tweet out some commentary on the ballpark in which the game was being held.

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The stadium was not a Little League park. Instead, it was the home of the Durham Bulls, the Tampa Bay Rays’ Triple-A affiliate. The Bulls’ social media account was not amused and hit back with a reference to the Jaguars then-scarce playoff history.

They traded jabs once more…

…Before Bowanko summed up the back-and-forth without seeming to take it too personally.

Bowanko played across the offensive line in college

He grew up playing basketball and hockey, but made the switch to football at Centreville High School in Virginia, starting three years for the varsity en route to offers from Florida State, Boston College, and Syracuse.

“I didn’t really play football until high school,” Bowanko said in 2014. “It was hockey and basketball growing up and hockey is an expensive hobby. So mom and dad kind of pushed me towards basketball and a 6-foot-6 white guy who can’t jump a lick doesn’t really make it too far in basketball, so the natural progression was for football.”

Bowanko’s progression continued at the University of Virginia where he played at right guard, center, and left guard for the Cavaliers. He was named a team captain by the end of his tenure in Charlottesville and started the final 37 games of his college career. That performance was not deemed worthy of an invite to the NFL Combine, a slight that motivated the new Patriots lineman.

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“Yeah, it’s little things like that in life that kind of put a chip on your shoulder and make you work a little harder,” he said after the draft. “In the grand scheme of things, I’m not worried about it, just hopefully can prove someone wrong and show them that maybe I should have been there.”