According to a Monday morning report from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Patriots are bringing back offensive tackle Trent Brown on a two-year deal. Brown had originally played one season with the Patriots at left tackle in 2018, winning Super Bowl 53 with the team, before departing to the Raiders for two seasons.
In 2021, Brown returned to New England, this time manning the right side for nine games as he battled a calf injury early in the season. The monstrous tackle can be outright dominating at times and when healthy he's one of the best tackles in the league.
Brown will turn just 29 in April as he remains in the prime of his career and helps secure a significant position of need after the team lost Ted Karras to the Bengals in free agency and traded Shaq Mason to the Bucs. With Brown's return both starting tackles and center David Andrews will all be back up front in 2022, with Michael Onwenu waiting in the wings to take over one of the guard spots.
"Trent's done a good job of not only reacclimating himself, but say bringing a good level of leadership and toughness and dependability to the team that I think everybody respects," said Bill Belichick this summer during training camp. "He's ready to go. He's got a good blue collar working attitude. He competes well. Whatever the situation is; run, pass, two-minute drill, goal line, whatever it happens to be, he competes well. He performs well. He really has done a good job of taking the 2018 year of experience in the system and really building on it and becoming a much more valuable player in terms of leadership, communication and helping other people out."
In other reports on Monday morning, the Patriots are said to also be hosting cornerback Malcolm Butler, who had retired in 2021 but is looking to make a comeback, as well as running back Leonard Fournette, who won a Super Bowl in 2020 with the Bucs.
According to ESPN's Mike Reiss they'll also have Bills RFA offensive guard Ryan Bates in as well, in a move that could potentially fill the only glaring remaining hole on the o-line.
