There has been no shortage of concern about New England Patriots left tackle Will Campbell this offseason. After he struggled in the team’s playoff run, drafting another left tackle in Caleb Lomu has led to calls for Campbell to move inside to guard to go through the roof.
This isn’t anything new for Campbell. Despite the Patriots using the No. 4 overall pick on him in the 2025 NFL Draft, he was noted for his short arms, which some thought might be a concern at tackle in the NFL.
Recently, Doug Kyed of The Boston Herald looked into Campbell’s rookie season at left tackle. He looked at PFF grades for Campbell, as well as 35 left tackles who developed into Pro Bowl or All-Pro players. Of them, 28 earned higher pass blocking grades as a rookie than Campbell did, which led to Kyed making an interesting comparison to Tyler Smith of the Dallas Cowboys.
“Obviously, it’s too early to tell, and we can’t make any definitive declarations based on the data,” Kyed wrote. “But if Campbell had finished out the season as strongly as he started it, then we would have much more confidence that he would one day rank among the elite tackles. There’s nothing indicating that Campbell will need to switch to guard based on this data, but Cowboys offensive lineman Tyler Smith had a pretty similar season to Campbell’s as a rookie left tackle, then switched to guard and has made three straight Pro Bowls. So, a switch to guard isn’t even necessarily a bad thing.”
Smith was drafted by the Cowboys in the first-round back in 2021. After making the switch to guard, he has been a Pro Bowler in three-straight seasons, and he now offers the Cowboys positional versatility. That’s not a bad thing if Campbell can have a similar career.
The New England Patriots Have Publicly Supported Will Campbell at Left Tackle
GettyNew England Patriots left tackle Will Campbell
While there have been calls for the New England Patriots to move Will Campbell off left tackle, those calls have come from outside the building. Within the Patriots, they’ve backed Campbell as the left tackle of the future. In particular, given his youth and the knee injury, he was playing through late in the season.
“Specifically, when he came back from that injury, I personally didn’t see the same level of lower body strength that you saw before the injury,” EVP of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf said.
“I think the film (showed) that, like he probably had three of his four worst games in the playoffs. But before that, I thought Will played really well out here. I know everyone talks about the arm length, but he has a set of skills that enable him to play with that arm length. He’s really quick out of his stance. He’s technically sound. He’s adding more and more different pass sets to his tool bag that he can use to combat different rushes. And again, he’s 22 years old, and we expect some improvement out of him as well.”
Going into the 2026 season, Campbell does seem entrenched at left tackle. However, things can change, and if he struggles with his consistency again, there’s no reason to think that Lomu won’t push him, or the team won’t reconsider.
ESPN Analyst Predicted Will Campbell Will Lose His Job
GettyNew England Patriots left tackle Will Campbell
Despite all of that, ESPN’s Ben Solak believes that the end is coming quickly for Will Campbell at left tackle in New England. In particular, that Caleb Lomu will take over for him.
“Whenever Campbell has a bad game — and all left tackles not named Trent Williams do — someone, somewhere will ask if it’s time to see Lomu,” Solak wrote. “The Patriots drafted the escape hatch, and now it waits in the corner with big red letters on the front: in case of emergency.”
In an ideal world, Lomu can act as a backup and sixth offensive lineman in 2026 for the Patriots. Eventually, they can then slot him in to replace an aging Morgan Moses. This option, of pushing out Campbell, isn’t ideal for the team.
“Campbell’s arm length has always been a problem, but it is manageable,” Solak wrote. “Campbell still had worrisome games in the regular season — games in which his length deficiency showed up. During the season, Campbell’s lack of length regularly showed up when absorbing bull rushes from long-limbed edges, or when recovering against speedier rushers who had gotten to his corners.”
There are many experts who believe that Lomu is going to need some time to transition into the NFL. In particular, as he tries to add strength. However, if he does so quickly, he should push for playing time somewhere along the line.
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