FOXBORO --- The New England Patriots' interior depth had been suspect all summer. After Ben Brown went down with a lower-body injury in last week's preseason game, those suspicions came right back up to the surface.
Head coach Mike Vrabel said that Brown will be out for a couple of weeks, and that the team will continue to look into possible options at both center and guard (of course, backup guard Andrew Rupcich also went down Thursday and was subsequently placed on season-ending injured reserve).
So the team went out and signed three free agents off the street : Joe Michalski, Darrian Dalcourt and Greg Van Roten . Out of those names, Van Roten feels like the top option when it comes to cracking this roster. He's played in the NFL since 2012, has moved across the offensive line throughout his career and has experience with the Patriots offensive coordinator from his time in Las Vegas .
After the Patriots had him in the facility earlier this month, it felt like it was only a matter of time until this move happened. This week, the Patriots pounced and inked him to a one-year deal .
"Well, he started every game for three years. He's played interior offensive line. It's something, after the game, coming out of here, where we needed to strengthen that," Vrabel said prior to Wednesday's joint practice with the Philadelphia Eagles .
Jan 5, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Giants guard Greg Van Roten (74) blocks Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Thomas Booker IV (59) at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
"He's a proven player, and somebody that I think has got experience in what we do in terminology, from Josh (McDaniels) a few years ago, and then Dabes (Brian Daboll) the last couple years. So, somebody that we felt like could help us."
His new teammates feel the same way.
"He's a hard worker," linebacker Robert Spillane said this week, who also spent time with him on the Raiders roster.
But Van Roten projects to be more of a Rupcich replacement, sliding in at either guard spot on the second unit. Who could end up taking over that backup center role?
Meet Jacob Rizy, the undrafted rookie out of Florida State . In the game against the Colts , Rizy stepped up for Brown after he went down and hasn't left his perch as the second center. While Van Roten did appear to be ahead of him in Wednesday's warmups, when the teams met in full on the field, Rizy was the one snapping to backup quarterback Tommy DeVito .
Rizy hasn't gotten snaps at guard, and while it's something he's more than capable of doing, it appears that he's the true Brown replacement.
Seeing his teammate go down last week was tough , but it forced Rizy into his NFL debut earlier than he might of expected.
Jul 25, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots offensive lineman Jacob Rizy (64) and offensive tackle Sebastian Gutierrez (61) work with coaching staff at training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
"The first thing that crossed my mind was I know how much Ben has been working, and it was really unfortunate to see that happen," Rizy said. "You never wish that for your teammates, and that was super unfortunate. But I knew I had to go play, so I just kind of went play football, pretty much."
Rizy has held his own controlling the second line. He's next to James Hudson and Mehki Butler, two players who weren't playing guard at the NFL at this time two years ago (Hudson is a converted tackle, while Butler is just in his second season). Despite that, Rizy appears to be second-in-command behind starter Jared Wilson .
He's not shying away from that, and the Patriots are certainly not shying away from giving the undrafted rookie a much larger role than they might have expected at this point in the summer.
"It's definitely a step up from college," Rizy said. "I'm playing center here for now. I mean, it's been pretty fun. Speed's been pretty fast, but I'm just trying to enjoy it (and) get better."
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/patriots/onsi as Patriots' Plan to Replace Injured OL is Coming into Focus .
