It is no secret that the New England Patriots have been having issues at right tackle, and it’s also no secret that there is a disgruntled tackle that could shake free.
That tackle is none other than Jonah Williams of the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Bengals signed Orlando Brown Jr. in the offseason to play left tackle and added La’el Collins back in 2022 to play opposite of Williams before Brown was a Bengal.
Williams, who was getting chances to fill in for the injured Collins, was seemingly demoted to second-team last week.
Jonah Williams working with 2s Monday at right tackle. pic.twitter.com/qeB9mP9fZW
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) July 31, 2023
Williams has the talent to be a capable starting tackle, and he would be an immediate upgrade over Riley Reiff and Conor McDermott at the position. The Patriots could take a swing at the former first-rounder, who was vocally upset at being cast aside in Cincinnati.
A project package for the 25-year-old could work with the Patriots sending a 2024 third-round draft pick, 2024 fifth-rounder and 2025 third-rounder in exchange for Williams and a 2024 sixth-round pick.
Williams has a cap hit of $12 million, but the Patriots could extend the pending free agent to get him under contract for the foreseeable future, while lowering his Year 1 cap hit.
Solid NFL tackles that are young do not come by so often. Even though Williams has had a down year, there is hope the Patriots could get him to turn into a reliable starting bookend tackle after working with newly-hired offensive line coach Adrian Klemm.
It may not be the sexiest of moves, but it wouldn’t be Bill Belichick’s first time trading for a disgruntled player on the low. I still expect the Patriots to target another tackle in the 2024 draft, but with Trent Brown in a contract year, Williams could be a nice replacement.
