The Patriots are entering a 2025 season in which there expectations figure to be an odd factor. New England needs to improve, no doubt, but considering that the bar was set at four-win seasons in 2024 and 2023, some improvement is a must. Many have the Patriots as a dark horse in the AFC playoff picture, and much has been made of the fact that the team is already favored in 11 of its 18 games. But 11-6 and a perch in the postseason might be setting the bar too high.
One of the major factors in determining how much improvement there will be this year figures to come from how well the offensive line can play. It was the worst unit in the league last year.
And one guy who was thrown onto the field last year, when the depth was wafer thin, was 2024 fourth-round pick Layden Robinson, who started the first four games and the final five games, and two games in the middle of the season. Alas, Robinson’s time is up. The Patriots announced on Sunday that they’re waiving Robinson on an injury cut.
Layden Robinson Was a 4th-Round Pick
Here’s the announcement from the team:
The New England Patriots announced today that G Layden Robinson has been waived-injured.
Robinson, 24, was drafted by New England in the fourth-round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Texas A&M. The 6-foot-3, 311-pounder, played in 13 games with 11 starts at both guard spots with six starts at right guard and five starts at left guard last season.”
The announcement did not get specific on Robinson’s injury, and there is a chance he could stick around if he gets through waivers. Robinson posted a 43.6 grade at Pro Football Focus in 2024, which ranked 129 our of 136 guards in NFL.
Patriots Overhauled the Line
The Patriots could cull most of their offensive line from 2024 by the time cut-down comes around on Tuesday. Robinson and Michael Jordan are gone, and 2024 regulars Vederian Lowe and Demontrey Jacobs could be gone, too. The Patriots could cut ties, too, with 2021 first-rounder Cole Strange.
On the plus side, the team has replaced both tackles, with Morgan Moses on the right side and No. 4 overall pick Will Campbell. Mike Onwenu is the stabilizer at right guard but left guard and center remain open questions.
Patriots Line a Work in Progress, Vrabel Said
Vrabel admitted this week that the Patriots‘ offensive line remains a work in progress even heading into Week 1, and that it might take a few regular-season games to get things sorted out. And that’s before injuries kick in.
“I think just when it’s clear, you know, when it’s clear. There’s not a timeline, but I think that when it becomes clear, and it didn’t before, and I don’t think it has yet now,” Vrabel said.
“So, we’ll still keep working, trying to get the best group in there, and get guys that are versatile and can help us behind them, because very rarely are you going to play the same five throughout a 17-game season and hopefully whatever comes after that is just trying to get a good, solid group of offensive lineman, establish the first unit, but then also have some really good pieces behind them.”
Patriots Announce They’ve Cut 2024 Starter