Sunday Patriots Notes: Alijah Vera-Tucker ready to be final piece along O-line

The free agency transactions have largely settled down for the New England Patriots and the rest of the league this past week. The main focus instead has shifted back to the NFL Draft, which is officially less than one month away.

The focus here on Pats Pulpit has been cleaning up free agent contracts and profiling potential Patriots draft fits. For anything that fell through the cracks, let’s clean out the notebook. Welcome to this week’s edition of our Sunday Patriots Notes.

Final piece

The New England Patriots offensive line underwent a complete overhaul last offseason.

Four new starters. Three new coaches. The results? Significant improvemens.

After finishing the 2024 season ranked dead last in Pro Football Network’s offensive line impact score, New England climbed to 12th in 2025. That jump played a major role in the Patriots’ turnaround and run to Super Bowl LX. Still, their performance in that game — and at times during the playoff stretch — showed the work is not finished.

The Patriots acknowledged that themselves early this offseason, as one of their first moves saw them trade veteran center Garrett Bradbury, who started all 21 games last season, to the Chicago Bears. The move clears the way for Jared Wilson to move back to his natural center position.

In free agency, the team then signed Alijah Vera-Tucker to a three-year contract worth up to $42 million. Projected to play left guard, Vera-Tucker could be the final piece of a unit that has the potential to become one of the top offensive lines in football.

“I would say this o-line was already dominant in itself,” Vera-Tucker said. “I’ve played with Morgan Moses. I know how he plays. I know his his work ethic. You know, I’ve heard of Big Mike. I’ve seen how he plays. Will Campbell and all that. So, I’m excited to come in and add my talents and my work ethic and see where it takes us.”

Health has long been the question mark with Vera-Tucker, who has played just 43 of a possible 85 games since entering the league in 2021. After three major, freak injuries — two torn triceps (one in each arm) and a torn achilles — the 26-year old, who remains on track for OTAs, is looking forward to a fresh start in New England.

That next step will now slide him in between Will Campbell and Jared Wilson along the Patriots’ offensive line, where his experience and ability should help stabilize the two youngsters.

“I think highly of Will, looking at from LSU and last year,” Vera-Tucker said. “I think he’s a great player. He was a rookie last year who was dealing with injuries as well. For him to be able to play through that and play in the Super Bowl, like I said, I think very highly of that and commend him for that as well.”

“For Jared,” Vera-Tucker continued, “to never play guard before and then go out there and do his thing, I think he’s very strong. I think he’s a talented player. I’m excited to play next to him.”

The work on the offensive line is not completely finished. With Morgan Moses entering his age 35 season — and set to see his workload managed at times this offseason — and with top backup left tackle Vederian Lowe departing in free agency, improving the depth alongside top interior reserve Ben Brown remains a need.

But with Vera-Tucker in the fold as part of the starting five, the unit looks set to take another step forward after last year’s progress.

“I’m a natural athlete so I think for me to come in and with my talents and my work ethic, I hope to bring great energy here and great work ethic to a good o-line already,” Vera-Tucker said. “I’m not coming here with any high expectations for the o-line itself. I’m just coming in ready to work and I’m sure by the end of this year and the season we’ll be proud of ourselves.”

Eyes on Bowry

Among the options to improve the offensive line depth in the draft is Boston College tackle Jude Bowry. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, offensive line coach Doug Marrone, and several members of the front office got a first-hand look at Bowry this past week at BC’s Pro Day.

The 6-foot-5, 311 pound, athletic tackle received some on-field time with Vrabel working on his technique and previously was coach by Marrone at Boston College. Bowry has also been working with former offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia during the pre-draft process.

“Coach Scar is great. It’s great to work with him. He’s a legend. He’s helped me a lot with my punch and just being a better overall player. He has seen the game in many ways and I just appreciate everything he has done,” Bowry said. “Coach Marrone, just like Coach Scar, two great minds of football. It’s great to be around him again. Great to see him. I’ve seen him throughout this whole process.”

Bowry currently sits at No. 122 on the consensus big board. The Patriots are currently set to pick No. 125 and 131 in the fourth-round.

Moving in

The Patriots new 160,000-square-foot state-of-the-art training facility, the New Balance Athletics Center, continues to work towards their original opening date in the Spring 2026. This past week saw Patriots coaches officially move into their new office spaces, while players who have been in the area are able to explore the new facility and locker room.

Wolf’s week

Patriots coaches and front office members have been on the road over the past month at various Pro Days across the country. This past week, that led to Executive Vice President of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf visiting his alma matter, the University of Miami, and Auburn University.

Coming off a national championship appearance, the Hurricanes’ defense features seven prospects in this year’s draft — including pass rusher Akheem Mesidor who projects to come off the board late in the first-round. Auburn features a pair of top edge players in Keldric Faulk (No. 19 ranked consensus) and Keyron Crawford (No. 99).

After spending time at Boston College on Monday, head coach Mike Vrabel meanwhile ended his week at Arizona State’s Pro Day. OT Max Iheanachor projects as a late first-round offensive tackle while WR Jordyn Tyson could also fall down the board due to medical concerns.

Setting up the week ahead

The annual league meetings begin on Sunday and will be held through Wednesday this week in Arizona, where Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel will address the media on Tuesday morning. Owner Robert Kraft is also expected to speak at some point.

New England will then continue their draft preparation holding prospects on 30 visits and concluding their Pro Day circuit — which ends with the University of Tennessee and the reigning national champion Indiana Hoosiers.

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