The New England Patriots don't exactly have a lot of depth at the offensive tackle position.
This offseason, they lost Trent Brown to the Oakland Raiders in free agency. First-round pick Isaiah Wynn is expected to step up and replace him in the starting lineup, but he is still recovering from an Achilles tear that he suffered last preseason and hasn't been a full-go at training camp so far. Behind Wynn, third-round pick Yodny Cajuste was expected to compete for a role with the team, but he has been on the NFI list since camp opened and may start the year there.
The injuries to Wynn and Cajuste have opened up some opportunities for other players. In recent practices, Dan Skipper has been getting a chance to play left tackle. And Skipper has gotten the attention of Patriots head coach Bill Belichick with his effort in practice.
“Dan works hard,’’ Belichick said per Jim McBride of The Boston Globe. “[He] was here really regularly when the season was over and into the offseason program. So, he got off to a good start there and has really built on that. He’s competing well. We’ll see how it goes. He’ll get a good opportunity. He’s earned that. He’s put himself in position to compete, so we’ll see how it goes.’’
This is certainly some high praise and is definitely a positive for Skipper. The 6-foot-9 Skipper went undrafted in 2017 after a solid collegiate career at Arkansas and played for three teams -- the Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, and Denver Broncos -- before joining the Patriots. The 24-year-old has only appeared in one game (with the Lions), but if he keeps performing well in practice, he should have a chance to make the Patriots roster.
But, Skipper isn't trying to get ahead of himself. He is going to continue to work hard and learn from the Patriots' offensive line coach, Dante Scarnecchia, who he has credited with helping him improve during camp.
New England Patriots
“You’ve got the best person you could get," Skipper said of Scarnecchia per McBride. "Coach cares about us, he’s been awesome . . . I’m just trying to get on the same page and get caught up to speed with the rest of the guys."
Provided that the Patriots don't add another offensive tackle to their roster, they have recently been tied to Washington Redskins tackle Trent Williams, it would seem that Skipper at least has a chance to make the roster. That said, he just missed the cut in Phil Perry's latest roster projection because of Joe Thuney's ability to slide over to the left tackle spot.
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