Getty Patriots potential signee Donovan Smith
Well, at this point, the stars seem to be aligning and ESPN is definitely sending a strong message to the New England Patriots: Sign free agent Donovan Smith. Last week, it was veteran insider Bill Barnwell who suggested the move. This week it is analyst Matt Bowen, who pushed for the obvious match between the sides in an article called, “Best NFL team fits for remaining free agents, trade candidates.”
Smith is an obvious fit. While it was a surprise to some that the Patriots have not come out with Drake Maye as the clear No. 1 starter at quarterback—it was Jacoby Brissett taking No. 1 reps at OTAs on Monday—one reason for that might well be that the Patriots know their offensive line is not good enough to protect a No. 3 pick.
Especially at left tackle. As it stands it is likely to be former Steelers lineman Chuks Okorafor who winds up with the job, though he is on a one-year deal and was not guaranteed anything. He is not even sure he can make the switch from the right side, where he played his whole career in Pittsburgh, to the left.
“I think it takes time,” Okorafor said on Monday, via NESN.com. “I’m trying to learn left, as of now. I’m trying to learn a whole new playbook. I’m trying to learn a whole new city, a whole new town. So it’s new to me now.”
Drake Maye’s Blind Side a Concern
That should help put the problem into context. Left tackle, of course, protects a quarterback ‘s blind side. The Patriots essentially have no one who has significantly played the position before. Is that a situation the team would want to toss Maye into?
Bowen, like Barnwell before him, sees Smith as a potential solution, or at least as someone who can diminish the problem. Here’s what Bowen wrote:
“The Patriots re-signed right tackle Mike Onwenu to a multiyear extension, drafted Penn State tackle Caedan Wallace (who will move to the left side in the pros) in the third round and signed former Steeler Chukwuma Okorafor to a one-year deal. But Smith would provide good competition for the left tackle spot and, at worst, depth.
“He started for the Chiefs in the Super Bowl last season, and he posted a pass block win rate of 90.8% while allowing six sacks over 438 pass-block reps. New England needs reliable blockers for rookie quarterback Drake Maye, and Smith no doubt would help.”
Patriots Have No One With Left Tackle Experience
The reality is that Okorafor has never played left tackle, and that Wallace was not a left tackle in college, either No. 3 on the left-tackle depth chart is 2023 seventh-round pick Andrew Steuber, who did not play a down as a rookie last year. Want to guess where he played in college? Yup, RIGHT tackle.
Smith is not a cure-all. He will be 31 this season, and has not been at the top of his game the past two years—there is a reason he remains unsigned. At Pro Football Focus, Smith logged a grade of 57.8 in 2023, No. 61 of the 81 tackles in the NFL.
But the Patriots ranked 29th in pass blocking last season, per PFF, and are returning much the same group this year. They need all the help they can get.
Smith did play better as the year went on with the Chiefs. He struggled with holding penalties, but he did help win a Super Bowl title, as he had done in Tampa Bay before that. He has flaws, but at least he has played left tackle before.