Jerod Mayo unhappy with depth? Patriots still anticipate lineup changes

Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said Monday morning that he anticipates making lineup changes before his team’s Week 13 matchup with the Colts.

That makes sense after the Patriots were embarrassed in a 34-15 loss to the Dolphins on Sunday in Miami. Right tackle Demontrey Jacobs was pulled for Sidy Sow during the second half, but Mayo didn’t make any other major changes during the game.

Mayo indicated why other players weren’t benched when asked about the team’s depth on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show.”

Here was the question:

“I feel like you may be coaching differently if you had pieces to sub in for guys that are making mistakes. Is that a fair blanket statement without calling anyone out in particular?”

Mayo’s answer was, “That’s a fair assessment.”

The Patriots have one of the least talented rosters in the NFL, which is certainly part of the reason why the team is 3-9. But they’re also not getting better on a week-to-week basis, which also reflects poorly on coaching.

Veteran defenders Jonathan Jones and Kyle Dugger both said after Sunday’s loss that players in their unit weren’t locked in and lost focus during against the Dolphins. Mayo was asked if that reflected on coaches to not just ensure that players were locked in but also to deploy players who were fully focused.

“My thing with that, we had our night before the game meeting and the guys were definitely locked in and focused,” Mayo said. “Then you get out there on the field and you could see some of the communication problems that were happening on the field. Now, it’s easy to say, ‘we’ll just put a guy here, put a guy in, take this guy out.’ Then you have to think about who you’re putting in there. That’s kind of where we are right now.”

Given that Jacobs, who was penalized twice and allowed two sacks and nine total pressures, per PFF, was benched during the game, it would make sense for the Patriots have a new right tackle in Week 13 against the Colts. Sow, who didn’t allow any pressures in 20 snaps, is one option to start, though the new regime has primarily viewed him as a guard, not a tackle. The Patriots could move Mike Onwenu back to right tackle and insert Sow, Cole Strange, who remains on the PUP list but returned to practice last week, or rookie Layden Robinson in at right guard. The Patriots have two tackles, Caleb Jones and Jalen McKenzie, on their practice squad, though neither player has been activated for a game yet. Rookie third-round pick Caedan Wallace is also on injured reserve, and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said last week that he is expected back this season.

When Wallace returns, it would make sense to give him starting reps, especially with Jacobs struggling, to see what the Patriots have in him for the future. If Wallace plays well at right tackle, where he started at Penn State, it could potentially remove an offseason need.

Left tackle Vederian Lowe also struggled, allowing three pressures and a strip sack while getting flagged for times, but the Patriots have fewer options to replace him. He’s also been a steady presence for the most part this season when healthy.

Left guard Michael Jordan allowed four pressures, per PFF. Strange, Sow and Robinson could be options to replace him on the offensive line.

Defensively, Dugger allowed two touchdowns, per PFF’s charting. The veteran safety has been dealing with an ankle injury for most of the season, though communication seemed to plague Dugger more than mobility. If Dugger were to be benched, the Patriots could give rookie Dell Pettus or second-year pro Marte Mapu bigger roles on defense.

Depth is not a strong suit for the Patriots, but Strange, a 2022 first-round pick, and Wallace both provide more upside than most players currently starting on the offensive line.