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Layden Robinson

Patriots Rumors: Moses, LG, UDFAs

May 25th, 2025 at 6:34pm CST by Ely Allen

At 34 years old, Morgan Moses is still playing at a level that garners the three-year, $24MM deal he signed with the Patriots. If he’s able to play out the entirety of his contract, he’ll be 37 years old when he hits free agency again; for reference, the oldest offensive tackle currently in the NFL is Trent Williams at 36.

One usually doesn’t make it this long in the NFL without a couple of bumps and bruises along the way. After only playing eight games as a rookie, Moses played in every game of every season for eight straight years. His past two seasons in Baltimore and New York, though, saw him miss three games apiece as Father Time starts to catch up to him. After missing two games early last year, Moses reportedly played through a grade 2 MCL sprain, a meniscus issue, and a fracture in his knee for several weeks.

Moses was reportedly “given a clean bill of health” from the Jets’ medical staff before free agency, and according to Mike Reiss of ESPN, that came following some offseason knee surgery. As he comes back from surgery, Moses has not been participating in full-team drills at practice. Still, he’s been plenty involved despite not practicing, mentoring rookie first-round tackle out of LSU Will Cambell, who it’s presumed will be starting opposite him in Week 1.

Here are a couple other rumors coming out of New England lately:

  • Last season, the left guard position became a major question for New England as Cole Strange missed all but the team’s last three games with injury and the Patriots fluctuated between Michael Jordan and Layden Robinson in his absence. Even when Strange returned from injury, he filled a need at center instead of returning to left guard. So far in early practices, that uncertainty has remained. With free agent signing Garrett Bradbury taking the center job, Strange can move back to left guard. So far, Strange has shared the position with free agent addition Wes Schweitzer, and undrafted free agent Jack Conley out of Boston College, per Reiss. Robinson is currently not a full participant, but he, too, could end up competing for the job. It’s early, but there are several potential options for the team at that position.
  • While we did cover a couple of the Patriots’ top undrafted earners (Eastern Washington wide receiver Efton Chism III and UC Davis running back Lan Larison) when they announced those signings, Reiss provided some info on a few more that we were not aware of at the time. Per Reiss, Alabama tight end C.J. Dippre earned the highest guaranteed total ($264K), followed by Chism ($259K), North Carolina defensive tackle Jahvaree Ritzie ($218K), Larison ($175K), Cal Poly edge rusher Elijah Ponder ($115K), Conley ($110K), and Ohio State tight end Gee Scott Jr. ($95K).

Patriots Rumors: Strange, Robinson, Peppers

December 1st, 2024 at 10:00pm CST by Ely Allen

Patriots interior offensive lineman Cole Strange has yet to make his 2024 season debut, but when he does, it may not be in the same position he has been playing for New England in the early years of his career. Though the team designated Strange to return from the reserve/physically unable to perform list back on November 20, he has been unable to be activated to date. Despite the delay, head coach Jerod Mayo claims that “the plan remains for Strange to play this season,” per ESPN’s Mike Reiss.

The 2022 first-round pick has started 27 games in his first two seasons with the team, all at left guard. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt has insisted that upon his return, Strange will get looks at all three interior positions. Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald provided the report that Strange would be tried at left guard, center, and right guard over the next few weeks. Kyed later provided an update that the focus will be moving Strange to center.

Here are a few other rumors coming out of New England:

  • The Patriots have been starting Michael Jordan at left guard, but after waiving the veteran lineman and signing him to the practice squad this week, it became apparent that a change was in the works. Reiss was the first to report early this morning that replacing Jordan in the starting lineup today would be fourth-round rookie Layden Robinson. The Texas A&M-product played only right guard in college and in the first six starts of his career this year, but Jordan’s demotion opened the door for Robinson to make a move on the left guard position. With little to play for in the rest of this season, New England will have a chance to evaluate whether or not Robinson has a future on the left side of the line.
  • The latest on the domestic violence charges facing Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers came last week. Per Reiss, the hearing for the case was completed on November 22. The next key date for the case will reportedly be a jury trial set for January 22.

OL Notes: Ravens, Mekari, Dolphins, Brewer, Bengals, Brown, Giants, Neal, Patriots

September 4th, 2024 at 4:07pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

After an overhaul of their offensive line this offseason, the Ravens appear to have landed on veteran Patrick Mekari as their starting right tackle to open the 2024 season. Though Baltimore has resisted making any formal announcements about their starting OL, offensive coordinator Todd Monken pointed toward Mekari starting to open the year, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. Mekari is also listed as the team’s starting RT on their official depth chart after competing with rookie Roger Rosengarten for the job throughout training camp.

The Ravens used a second-round pick on Rosengarten this year and gave him plenty of chances to win a starting gig over the summer. He frequently took reps with the first-team offense in practice and played 86 snaps at right tackle in the preseason, but that may not have been enough to overcome Mekari’s consistency over the past few seasons. A sixth-year blocker, Mekari has stepped up at both tackle positions. He started at LT when Ronnie Stanley was injured in 2022 and rotated snaps at RT as Morgan Moses played through a torn pectoral in 2023.

Mekari’s experience (36 starts) likely played a factor in the Ravens’ decision. Baltimore traded Moses to the Jets in March and also allowed veteran starting guards John Simpson and Kevin Zeitler to leave in free agency, opening up three new spots along the offensive line. With Andrew Vorhees and Daniel Faalele stepping into starting guard roles for the first time, the Ravens appear to be opting for a known quantity in Mekari over the unproven Rosengarten.

Here’s the rest of the news from offensive lines around the NFL:

  • Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said that starting center Aaron Brewer will practice this week after recovering from a hand injury, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Miami added Brewer on a three-year, $21MM this offseason after starting at center for the Titans in 2023. His hand injury, producing a multi-week absence, has raised concerns about his snapping ability. But McDaniel seemed confident about Brewer’s readiness to start in Week 1.
  • The Bengals have landed on veteran Trent Brown to start at right tackle over first-round pick Amarius Mims, per Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. Mims has struggled with a pectoral injury throughout training camp, limiting his reps with Cincinnati’s first-team offense. The 18th overall pick did not practice on Monday, but did return in a limited capacity Wednesday. As Mims gets up to full speed physically and mentally, the Bengals will look to Brown, a nine-year veteran who signed a one-year, $4.75MM deal in March. Mims was seen as a developmental prospect during the pre-draft process, so it’s not surprising that the Bengals have opted for a conservative approach with a player they see as a long-term pillar of their offensive line.
  • Brian Daboll announced that Evan Neal will remain exclusively at tackle after the Giants toyed with the idea of trying him out at guard, according to Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. “We have enough guards,” said Daboll, “He needs to continue to work at right tackle.” The No. 7 overall pick in 2022 opened the past two seasons as the team’s starting RT, but injuries limited him to just 20 games. He also struggled to transition to right tackle after spending his senior year as a left tackle at Alabama. New York signed Jermaine Eluemunor on a two-year, $14MM deal this offseason. With Neal struggling to overcome his ankle injury early in camp, the ex-Raider took over the RT job.
  • The Patriots are working through multiple injuries along their offensive line as they put together their starting five before Week 1. Left guard starter Sidy Sow and Vederian Lowe, the latter having vied for a starting tackle job after playing LT and RT in 2023, are both nursing injuries. This potentially leaves rookie Layden Robinson as the team’s top option at RG come Sunday, according to Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald. The fourth-round pick impressed in training camp and even earned a few first-team reps in the preseason. Third-round rookie Caedan Wallace is expected to start the year as the Patriots’ swing tackle after training at both left and right tackle this summer.

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 6/5/24

June 5th, 2024 at 8:08pm CST by Ben Levine

One draft pick signing to pass along:

New England Patriots

Robinson was a four-year starting lineman at Texas A&M, with the guard earning a pair of second-team All-SEC nods during his tenure. The 6-foot-3, 311-pound rookie could find himself in the starting lineup to begin the season, as Cole Strange could miss the start of the 2024 campaign.

With the signing, second-round wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk is now New England’s only unsigned draft pick.