The Patriots fruitless search for veteran help along the interior of their offensive line may finally be coming to an end.
According to a report in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, 10th-year veteran Corbin Lacina visited Foxborough late last week and could be signing with New England any day.
Lacina, who started for the Vikings at left guard for the past three seasons, would provide insurance in the event that Joe Andruzzi is unable to recover from his offseason knee surgery in time for the season. Andruzzi returned to practice early last week and took part in Saturday's win at Washington, but did so on a limited basis, taking part in just a couple of series.
The Patriots thought they already had insurance when they inked veteran Brenden Stai just after training camp began. But after quickly working his way into the starting lineup and playing well in the opener against the Giants, Stai decided to retire, making him the third such veteran guard to do so in the past three years. Rich Tylski (2002) and Joe Panos (2001) preceded Stai in the unexpected retirement game.
Lacina was originally a sixth-round draft pick of the Buffalo Bills in 1993 and spent five years in Western New York before heading to Carolina for a season. He then moved to Minnesota, where he's been a starter for most of the past four seasons.
