Here’s 5 free-agent tackles the Patriots could target to bolster offensive line

The Patriots have started four different players at left tackle this season.

The Patriots are in desperate need of reinforcements at the tackle position.

New England’s blowout loss to the 49ers on Sunday saw New England start waiver-wire pickup Demontrey Jacobs at left tackle. It was the fourth straight game where New England has started a game with a new left tackle in place.

Chuks Okorafor started Week 1 against the Bengals, but the veteran is no longer on the team. Week 2 starter Vederian Lowe is sidelined due to a knee injury.

Rookie Caedan Wallace had a rough outing as the starting LT in Week 3 against the Jets, and suffered an ankle injury during Sunday’s loss to the 49ers.

With New England already relinquishing 17 sacks through four games, the Patriots need to bolster their depth in order to protect both Jacoby Brissett and potentially Drake Maye further down the road.

Speaking on Monday, Jerod Mayo acknowledged that the Patriots might peruse the free-agent market in search of more tackles.

“Eliot [Wolf] and I have those conversations all the time,” Mayo said. “We actually­ — we’re going to meet today. We are always trying to find ways to improve our roster, and so that’s always under consideration.”

Here are five potential targets at the tackle position who the Patriots should target:

David Bakhtiari

David Bakhtiari boasts one of the more impressive resume among potential free-agent candidates at the tackle position. The 33-year-old offensive lineman has three Pro Bowl nods and two All-Pro selections over his 11 seasons with the Packers.

But injuries have hindered Bakhtiari in recent years. The 33-year-old only played in 13 games over the last three seasons — including just one game played in 2023. Bakhtiari might have the highest ceiling of any tackle available, but it remains to be seen if he can actually get on the field.

Charles Leno Jr.

Unlike Bakhtiari, the 32-year-old Charles Leno Jr. logged plenty of rep in 2023, starting 13 games and logging nearly 900 snaps with Washington. Leno has plenty of experience with 141 career starts at the tackle position, and could offer some necessary insurance at the spot on the depth chart that has taken on water already this season.

Citing a league source, Christopher Price of The Boston Globe reported on Tuesday that the Patriots have not reached out to Leno to “gauge his possible availability”.

D.J. Humphries

The 30-year-old D.J. Humphries is only a few years removed from a Pro Bowl nod in 2021. But the former Cardinals tackle is still sitting out on the free-agent market, even after appearing in 15 games in 2023. He was a key cog on Arizona’s personnel upfront, logging 93 percent of Arizona’s total offensive snaps over those 15 games. He suffered a torn ACL in January, which likely prompted his exit from the Cardinals.

Donovan Smith

Another established veteran, 31-year-old Donovan Smith has started all 136 games of his NFL career, split between the Buccaneers and Chiefs. A two-time Super Bowl champion, Smith protected both Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes’ blind sides during their respective championship campaigns in 2020 and 2023.

However, Smith’s play tailed off during his lone season with the Chiefs last year, prompting Kansas City to draft BYU’s Kingsley Suamataia in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Duane Brown

Another veteran tackle with an impressive resume, Duane Brown has earned three All-Pro selections during stops with the Texans and Seahawks. But at 39 years old, it remains to be seen just how much he has left in the tank. After appearing in 12 games with the Jets during the 2022 season, a hip injury hindered Brown in 2023, limiting him to just five appearances and three total starts.