In a surprising turn of events, the New England Patriots have agreed to a deal with center David Andrews on a four-year contract, according to a source.
How unexpected was this? Julian Edelman even wrote a farewell to Andrews on Instagram earlier in the day, “Pleasure sharing the field with ya big man!”
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How he fits
Insert Andrews right back into the starting center role, which has to be a shock to Ted Karras, who signed a one-year, $4 million contract Wednesday. Andrews has been a captain and one of the most beloved members of the locker room since 2015. So this will provide a big lift to the roster, especially after it appeared Andrews would be signing elsewhere in free agency.
2021 impact
The Patriots offensive line will be stacked again. This is their projected starting line:
LT Isaiah Wynn
LG Mike Onwenu
C David Andrews
RG Shaq Mason
RT Trent Brown
Karras will be the backup center and possibly the top guard backup. Justin Herron will be the swing tackle. And if necessary, Brown can play left tackle and Onwenu can move to right tackle. Considering the offensive line has such a high injury rate, the starting-caliber backups will be useful throughout the season.
Draft impact
The Patriots no longer need to worry about drafting a center, but they should still have their eyes on a mid-round guard since Karras has primarily been a center. And not that it relates to Andrews, they should also strongly consider using an early-round pick on a tackle since Wynn and Brown only have one year remaining on their contracts. Wynn’s lengthy injury history should be a factor there as well.
Cap update
The Patriots have creatively structured their flurry of deals to minimize their 2021 cap hits and defer the bigger money to future years when the new NFL television contracts are expected to inflate the salary cap. The Patriots are using their abundance of cap space to their advantage, and the Andrews contract shouldn’t deter them from additional deals to fill out the roster.
Outlook
This is a major win for the Patriots. All week, it looked like Andrews would sign elsewhere, potentially even with the AFC East rival Miami Dolphins. He was the Patriots’ biggest Pro Bowl snub in 2020 and will help fortify an offensive line that will again be a strength. Karras would have been a worthy starter, but Andrews is a better run blocker. If the Patriots plan on being a run-heavy team again next season, this deal will provide a big boost, and it further strengthens their depth up front.
(Photo of Andrews snapping the ball: Al Pereira / Getty Images)
