Getty Charles Leno after a win.
Former Washington Commanders offensive tackle Charles Leno is still on the market after spending three seasons with the Commanders. Despite having offseason hip surgery, Zack Cook of Sports Grid predicts that Leno will sign with the New England Patriots.
“Although Charles Leno Jr. isn’t what he once was, he should still be able to provide value to a team in a backup role. For a young team looking to add veterans, there’s value here in this player.”
Leno, who spent the 2014-2020 seasons with the Chicago Bears, was named a Pro Bowler in 2018.
Commanders Saved Money by Releasing Leno
The Washington Commanders released Leno at the start of the league year, giving them more cap space for holes to fill.
By cutting Leno, the Commanders saved $7.28 million.
In an effort to replace him, the Commanders have made multiple moves to improve their offensive line. The team has signed Cornelius Lucas, Tyler Biadasz, Nick Allegretti, and Michael Deiter.
Leno played 880 offensive snaps in 2023 and finished top-eight in penalties with 10. He only allowed three sacks and finished with a PFF grade of 72.5, an above-average mark for his position.
Dean Jones of Riggo’s Rag writes that despite the play from Leno, the salary was too much to have him on the team in 2024.
“Few Commanders players have been more reliable than Leno. He’s been an iron-man on the blindside with underrated production more often than not. While it was far from perfect last season, the former seventh-round selection performed better than most. Unfortunately, it was not enough to justify keeping him around on such a lofty salary.”
How Leno Would Help the Patriots
Similar to the Washington Commanders, the New England Patriots are expected to draft a quarterback with the No. 3 pick in the NFL Draft. Having a competent offensive line is a help for a young quarterback, which is where Leno would come into play for the Patriots.
The Patriots were sacked 2.8 times per game, the ninth most in the NFL last season. Another similarity to the Commanders, who were sacked 3.8 times per game, the second most.
According to Colin McCarthy of Boston.com, Leno would give the Patriots a “more reliable” offensive line in 2024.
“Leno might be the best left tackle currently available in free agency. At 32 years old, he’s seen plenty of action at the left tackle spot, and has a 77.8 pass block grade with an overall grade of 72.5 according to Pro Football Focus.
“Plugging Leno in would immediately give New England a more reliable unit in 2024.”
The struggles of the Patriots’ offensive line were viewed as a massive offseason issue. Evan Lazar of Patriots.com broke down the issues.
“New England ranked dead-last in pass-blocking win rate (43%), was 29th in PFF pass-blocking grade, and was 27th in pass-blocking efficiency with the fifth-most sacks allowed in 2023 (35).
“Those numbers are ugly for an offensive line that was clearly limited by personnel and lost its line coach shortly after the midway point in the season. Now, the Patriots are starting over in the trenches with newly hired line coaches Scott Peters and Robert Kugler hoping to improve the line play.”