Why Matt Light isn’t panicking over the Patriots’ offensive-line concerns yet

“I mean, what do you have to base it on, right? One preseason game so far, really, where you’ve seen some action, you’ve seen guys go out there in the starter positions and go through a couple of series or more and dial it up,” Light said. “But it’s not real and it’s not like you can go to practice and see what they’re doing.

“I mean, we’re all in the dark. But I will say this, a healthy David Andrews, which we have, is a huge bonus, right? I think they’re gonna figure out the guard positions and I think you have a little bit more leeway with the interior guys than you do the exterior. The question mark is [rookie Sidy] Sow going to be the guy at right tackle? Is Trent [Brown] gonna be healthy at left tackle? And I’m keeping my fingers crossed saying that you can nurse along and coach up a guy at right tackle a lot better than left.”

The interior of New England’s O-line has taken a hit due to injuries involving starting guards Mike Onwenu and Cole Strange.

Onwenu spent the first month of camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list while recovering from offseason ankle surgery. But the 25-year-old guard made his return to the practice field on Wednesday, albeit in a limited role that did not involve participation in competitive drills.

Strange has not been able to practice since suffering an apparent leg injury during the first day of padded practices in late July. The 2022 first-round pick was present on the field on Wednesday morning, but just as an observer.

If both Strange and Onwenu are cleared by Week 1, New England’s O-line should receive a significant boost.

But as Light noted, the depth at the tackle position is a more pressing issue. Even if Brown holds his own at left tackle, it remains to be seen who slots in at right.

Sow has an uphill climb as a rookie, especially given that he played guard while in college at Eastern Michigan. He was bulldozed by Packers linebacker Kingsley Enagbare en route to a momentum-sapping sack on Saturday in Green Bay.

“If Trent’s out there, and Sow can be serviceable to start out or whoever it is — I think we’re gonna be okay, because of the offensive scheme,” Light said. “I think Billy [O’Brien] is gonna throw them some bones and make it a little bit easier for an offensive lineman to kind of grow and succeed early in the season.”

Veteran Riley Reiff has put forth lackluster returns at tackle so far this preseason, but improved last week when slotted over at right guard. If Bill Belichick and his staff opt to keep Reiff in that spot, Onwenu could be a candidate to slot over at right tackle.

Free-agent pickup Calvin Anderson entered camp as a potential starting option at RT, but has been sidelined throughout the preseason due to a non-football illness (NFI).

However, NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry did note on Wednesday that Anderson could be nearing a return, as he was watching practice while wearing a Catapult chest vest.

Regardless of the constitution of New England’s starting O-line, Light believes that the Patriots are in much better hands with O’Brien and new offensive-line coach Adrian Klemm taking over in place of Matt Patricia and Joe Judge.

“Klemm was a very gifted athlete and he’s a smart guy,” Light said. “He loves the game of football. And I think that, even when he was a player, he was kind of one of those player-coaches. Think about the [Tedy] Bruschis and the [Mike] Vrabels and the guys defensively that we’re kind of player coaches — the Jerod Mayos, right? … You do get a little bit of that [Dante Scarnecchia] effect because Klemm was in that system.

“He understands that. I think he’s a pretty good coach from what I’ve heard, and I know he’s a great guy, so I think he will be an upgrade. I think Billy O coming back is the biggest upgrade. And it’s going to make everybody on that offensive line and the entire offense feel a heck of a lot better going into this season.”