Yes, head coach Mike Vrabel said Will Campbell won’t change positions in 2026. But life changes fast in the NFL, and it’s a league of circumstances.
“Will is 22 years old,” Vrabel said after a tough playoff sequence for the rookie. “He’s our left tackle. He’ll get better, he’ll get stronger. There’s plays he’d like to have back. We’re not moving Will to guard, center, tight end or anywhere else.”
Right now, the New England Patriots don’t have better options, but if the team can add a natural left tackle with a proven track record in free agency, it could make more sense to pull the trigger and solve two problems at once — left tackle and left guard.
NFL free agency mock draft
Here at A to Z Sports, we made a cool exercise to simulate a free agency with a mock draft of veterans who are set to hit the market. Teams with more cap space had the first picks, which means the Patriots were 12th. And New England selected Green Bay Packers left tackle Rasheed Walker.
The explanation for the pick:
“Walker is not a star offensive lineman, but he offered competent left tackle play for three years on the Green Bay Packers. He’s still young, the value is not prohibitive, and signing him would allow the Patriots to kick Will Campbell inside after a nightmare playoff run at left tackle.”
PFF projects that Walker will sign a four-year, $84 million contract in free agency, with $51 million in guarantees. His $21 million yearly average may be significant, but it can be structured in a way to progress throughout the years. Moreover, New England has $36.9 million in effective cap space, so there’s more than enough room to make the move.
The Packers themselves made a similar move to what the Patriots would do in this case. They drafted Jordan Morgan in the first round in 2024, and he played more at guard while keeping Walker at left tackle. Now that Walker is set to leave, Morgan is projected to move outside. And remember, Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf comes from Green Bay, with a similar scouting background.
This is a type of move that could give the Patriots more options and improve the entire line.
Will Campbell would move to left guard, a huge improvement over current starter Jared Wilson, while Rasheed Walker would offer more experience at tackle. And that doesn’t mean Campbell could never play tackle again. Right tackle Morgan Moses is 34 and is under contract through 2027, so eventually the Patriots will need another tackle — they could play Campbell himself on the right side, or study the possibility of playing Rasheed Walker there.
Competent offensive linemen are hard to find, especially in free agency. This is a big opportunity to make the offense better, and protecting Drake Maye has to be the priority for this franchise in 2026.
