The Patriots are in Miami, where they'll face the division rival Dolphins in a Week 12 matchup at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.
New England didn't downgrade any players to out en route to Miami, meaning their 10 questionable players made the trip. Most notably, captain Deatrich Wise (foot), who only practiced one day this week after missing last week's game vs. the Rams, still has a chance to play. As does top CB Christian Gonzalez, who was a late addition with a hip injury that first appeared on the injury report on Friday. The Pats also elevated LB Keshawn Banks and TE Jack Westover from the practice squad this week.
Along the offensive line, the newsworthy item is that the Patriots did not activate OL Cole Strange (knee) from the physically unable to perform list. The club has until Dec. 11 to activate Strange before his 21-day return window closes, which began this week. After suffering a severe knee injury late last season, the former first-rounder returned to practice on Wednesday for the first time this season, practicing in a limited capacity all three days.
On Friday, head coach Jerod Mayo told reporters that Strange was participating in individual drills and conditioning periods, suggesting he hasn't participated in full team drills yet.
"Cole has really just been out there doing the individual drills and conditioning. I will say he looks good. We ran some cross fields the other day and he was out front, so he's definitely in shape. Maybe it's the fresh legs, I don't know. It's exciting to have him out there," Mayo said.
Strange's season debut will have to wait at least another week. There's also a conversation about whether or not Strange will crack the starting lineup when he is fully cleared. Right now, the Pats are projected to start the same starting line for the third consecutive game for the first time this season. Along with the play of rookie QB Drake Maye, the continuity has led to better results for the offensive line. This week, the likely starting line for the Patriots will be LT Vederian Lowe, LG Michael Jordan, C Ben Brown, RG Mike Onwenu, and RT Trey Jacobs.
Since taking over as the starter in Week 6, Maye has been under pressure on 37% of his drop-backs compared to a 48.1% pressure rate in the first five weeks. Furthermore, with the same group over the last two games, the Pats registered a 37.3% rushing success rate compared to a league-worst 26% success rate in the previous four weeks.
Strange's athleticism would fit OC Alex Van Pelt's outside zone-heavy scheme well. The 29th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft had the top relative athletic score (RAS) among interior offensive linemen in his draft class (9.95 out of 10). Strange could be an upgrade at one of the interior spots, but here's the question: which spot and is that worth breaking the continuity the Patriots O-Line is building?
As for his position moving forward, Strange told reporters that his primary focus is training at center, while Van Pelt and offensive line coach Scott Peters seem to view Strange as a long-term fit at center. On Friday, Peters said that the Browns scouted Strange as a center when he was working in Cleveland with Van Pelt on the 2022 draft.
"I knew about him coming out in the draft. When we were in Cleveland, we liked him and thought he had some good traits for center," Peters said. "He played in the Senior Bowl and did a nice job there. Obviously, he can play guard. It was good to see him come back. He is an athletic kid. It's impressive the work he's put in to return to the field after the injury."
The Patriots coaches seem to believe Strange would be best in their scheme at center, which makes sense. Outside zone offenses are at their best when they have athletic linemen like Strange to flow horizontally across the field. In that scheme, the center sets the pace of the line, so it helps to have an athletic blocker in that spot. Playing center could also mitigate some of Strange's play-strength issues at guard.
Still, with this system asking a lot of centers mentally, it's a big ask for Strange to play center this season. From this perspective, it might be better for Strange to train at center next spring and summer, where he'll have OTAs and training camp to learn rather than putting him into a game at a new position. Coach Mayo mentioned earlier this week that captain David Andrews (IR) is helping Strange learn center behind the scenes, which is great, but it's one thing to do it in the classroom and another to execute in a regular-season game.
Ultimately, all this chatter about where he should play when Strange returns is all for not this week. The Pats third-year IOL was not activated, so he won't play on Sunday, while New England will likely roll with the same offensive line it used over the last two games.
As for the practice squad elevations, Banks played a core special teams role with 18 snaps in the kicking game last week, appearing on four different units. Westover is up for the first time after joining the team in October. The former University of Washington star will likely contribute on special teams to lighten the load on veterans Austin Hooper and Hunter Henry.
The Patriots head to Miami looking for their first win at Hard Rock Stadium since 2019. The Dolphins have won four consecutive home games over the Patriots, while QB Tua Tagovailoa is 6-0 in his career vs. New England. All that adds up to the Patriots being 7.5-point road underdogs, but rookie QB Drake Maye makes you feel like the Patriots have a chance to out-score a Dolphins offense that presents a huge challenge.
The Dolphins host the Patriots at Hard Rock Stadium with kickoff at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
