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Patriots reportedly sign former Steelers OT Chukwuma Okorafor
The 6-foot-6, 320-pound lineman logged 59 career starts over his six seasons with Steelers.
The Patriots are reportedly adding some reinforcements to their beleaguered offensive line.
New England agreed to terms on a contract with former Steelers offensive tackle Chukwuma Okorafor on Thursday, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.
Okorafor, 26, has plenty of starting experience in the NFL. The 6-foot-6, 320-pound lineman logged 59 career starts over his six seasons with Steelers — with 55 of those starts coming over the last four years.
A 2018 third-round pick out of Western Michigan, Okorafor primarily played at right tackle during his extended tenure in Pittsburgh. Signing Okorafor gives New England some much-needed depth at a critical area of the depth chart — especially with RT/RG Mike Onwenu expected to hit free agency next week.
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Even with Okorafor’s signing, MassLive’s Mark Daniels reported on Thursday that New England’s decision to add Okorafor was a decision “independent” of the contract status of Onwenu, who the Patriots are still trying to sign.
If Onwenu eventually does sign on the dotted line with New England, Okorafor still gives New England options at a thin area of the roster. Prior to Thursday’s signing, New England only had Conor McDermott, Vederian Lowe, Andrew Stueber, and Calvin Anderson under contract at offensive tackle.
Okorafor was Pittsburgh’s primary starting right tackle for the last few seasons, but was replaced by rookie Broderick Jones midway through the 2023 campaign.
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The writing was on the wall that Okorafor was going to be expendable in Pittsburgh following Jones’ arrival, but the veteran was benched midway through the year for reportedly speaking out about the Steelers offense during a Week 8 loss to the Jaguars.
A fresh start should benefit Okorafor in New England, while the Patriots will welcome the added depth at an area of the roster that hindered their offense throughout a miserable 2023 campaign.
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