ESPN picked young Patriots’ offensive lineman as team’s X-factor
Left tackle Vederian Lowe could play a major role in the Patriots' success or failure, according to ESPN.
ESPN’s Ben Solak published a list of X-factors for all 32 NFL teams on Friday. He picked offensive tackle Vederian Lowe for the Patriots.
The question posed at the beginning of the piece was: “if [INSERT TEAM HERE] is surprisingly good/surprisingly bad this season, it was likely because of [INSERT PLAYER HERE].”
So, he inserted Lowe for the Patriots’ spot. The offensive line collectively has been the Patriots’ most glaring weakness during the offseason, with issues at the tackle spots in particular.
The Patriots’ strategy for much of training camp seemed to be geared toward shoring up the middle of the offensive line with David Andrews and Mike Onwenu paired on the inside with Sidy Sow. Rookie guard Layden Robinson played his way into a competition with Sow toward the end of training camp.
The Patriots tried several players at left tackle from Lowe, to rookie Caedan Wallace, to Chukwuma Okorafor, to the recently released Calvin Anderson. Out of those players, Lowe appeared to stick the longest.
But, protecting the quarterback’s blindside has been a struggle.
Lowe, who was acquired via trade last year, gave up six sacks in 11 games in 2023, tied for 15th-most in the league according to Pro Football Focus. He also got beat for a sack against the Eagles, resulting in rookie quarterback Drake Maye taking a big hit from his blindside.
Still, the coaching staff showed faith in Lowe this year, giving him the bulk of the reps as the starting left tackle. He’s also a relatively young player, entering his third season after being drafted in the sixth round in 2022.
“Lowe must take a big step forward if he’s going to hold onto the job,” Solak wrote. “If he’s struggling, the Patriots will put Wallace out there in his stead and let the young player start to develop.
“And if Lowe is struggling, it’ll be harder to insert Maye into the lineup and get the rookie quarterback the valuable reps he needs, as the coaching staff will fear a rookie-season injury to Maye off the blind side. If Lowe can hold his water, the path forward for New England is immediately accelerated.”
If Lowe can figure things out at the left tackle spot, it would be a big boost for the Patriots. Andrews has been solid at center for nearly a decade. Onwenu has star potential at guard. Sow and Robinson are young guards with size who are pushing each other.
A productive season from Lowe would go a long way. He plays arguably the most important position on the offensive line.
But there’s also a long way to go in the 25-year-old tackle’s development, hence why ESPN picking him as an X-factor makes sense.
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