With the start of the 2025 NFL regular season right around the corner, the Green Bay Packers are seemingly set with their starting five on the offensive line, with Rasheed Walker at left tackle, highly-paid free-agent acquisition Aaron Banks at left guard, Elgton Jenkins at center, Sean Rhyan at right guard, and Zach Tom at right tackle.
So, that's one thing head coach Matt LaFleur doesn't have to worry about ahead of Tuesday afternoon's deadline to reduce his roster from 90 to 53. What he does have to concern himself with, however, is some of the depth behind that starting five, particularly on the interior, as both backup left guard Donovan Jennings and backup center Jacob Monk haven't played overly well during the preseason.
As such, the Packers would be wise to explore some other options as teams start cutting players, and an intriguing option who could very well become available is the New England Patriots' Cole Strange, who could actually come in and give Green Bay some assistance at both positions.
Packers should make a move for Cole Strange if he becomes available during roster cutdowns
As the Patriots took Strange in the first round of the 2022 draft with the 29th overall pick, there were naturally a lot of expectations put on the Chattanooga alum to come in and contribute immediately. But that simply hasn't happened.
Strange started all 17 games at left guard for New England as a rookie, and while he earned a decent 67.8 PFF grade as a pass blocker, his 48.3 run-blocking grade left a lot to be desired. He improved on the latter in 2023 but regressed on the former, but the biggest thing to come out of his sophomore season was the torn patellar tendon in his left knee that ended it early.
The recovery from said injury also cost him all but three games of the 2024 season. After spending his first game back only on the kicking team, Strange started the Patriots' final two games of the season at center, earning a strong 79.0 pass-blocking grade but a woeful 40.4 run-blocking mark.
While the 27-year-old has been healthy during Patriots training camp this year, the inconsistency has still been a bit of an issue, and he's seemingly lost his spot at left guard to rookie Jared Wilson. And with New England bringing in Garrett Bradbury, moving to center full-time doesn't seem to be an option either.
The Pats have already declined his fifth-year option and would save $2.4 million in cap space by cutting him. They could very well keep him for depth purposes, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see him get cut.
And if that happens, the Packers could pounce.
Now, with all of the negative information mentioned above, you might be wondering why we would suggest Green Bay bringing him to Titletown. And that's valid. But the potential that made Strange a first-round pick is still there, even if he hasn't lived up to it as often as he should.
The biggest asset he has going for him right now is versatility. And again, with the Packers having a little trouble on the depth chart at multiple positions, signing a player who can come in and fill gaps at both when necessary wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.