The Patriots will have a new left guard this weekend against the Carolina Panthers.
On Friday, Mike Vrabel revealed that rookie Jared Wilson will be inactive for the team’s Week 4 matchup after missing practice this week with a knee and ankle injury. The starting left guard has been seen donning a knee brace on his right knee.
Wilson’s absence likely leads to Ben Brown starting on Sunday at left guard.
“Ben’s here because we believe in him,” Vrabel said on Friday. “He’s worked at center. He’s worked at guard through camp. He’ll compete. We’re excited to see him play. Everybody’s here for a reason. Take advantage of your opportunity. I’m sure that Ben will do that.”
The Patriots coach also announced that cornerback Christian Gonzalez (hamstring), right guard Michael Onwenu, and edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson (knee) are questionable for Sunday’s matchup.
Brown, 27, signed to the Patriots’ 53-man roster off the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad last season. He then started 10 games in New England at the center position, replacing David Andrews. Brown played all 667 snaps last year at center. However, he does have some experience at guard.
In 2023, in Seattle, Brown made his NFL debut, playing eight snaps for the Seahawks at left guard. He also started his collegiate career at Ole Miss at right guard before transitioning to the center position.
This summer, Brown was the Patriots’ top backup left guard. He battled with Wilson throughout training camp after surpassing Cole Strange and Caedan Wallace on the depth chart. At one point, when the Patriots were in Minnesota for joint practices, it looked like Brown would surpass Wilson.
However, the rookie won the starting job and started the Patriots’ first three games at left guard. Wilson has played well. He allowed a sack and two quarterback hits in his first NFL game, but has not allowed a single quarterback hit or sack over the last two.
Now, it’ll be up to Brown to step in and step up.
Mark Daniels has been on the Patriots beat since 2014. After working for the Providence Journal, he joined MassLive in 2022. Daniels has won awards for feature writing, column writing and general sports…
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