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The New England Patriots traded their best offensive lineman to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a fourth round pick and a receiving tight end. Other articles can discuss the potential of Tim Wright, this article is solely focused on the force of nature that is Logan Mankins, and what this trade means to both offensive lines.
Let’s talk about the player himself. On the day of the trade, Bill Belichick called him the best guard he’s ever coached. Mankins is an offensive captain, a six time Pro Bowler, a five time All-Pro, and a probable Hall of Famer. He's also ridiculously tough as Mankins played most of the 2011 season with a torn ACL, (the Patriots made the Super Bowl that year). While his play has (supposedly) slipped slightly in the last year, Mankins is still a dominator at the point of attack, and has been a legendary player for the Patriots. Mankins is not a spring chicken but the Buccaneers can look forward to at least two more seasons of dominance from this player at this point in his career.
From the perspective of the Buccaneers, this is a huge upgrade. The latest offensive line rankings will not be complete until later this week, however some cocktail napkin math has the Bucs with Mankins up to seventeenth overall, from twenty-seventh. That’s a ten slot jump. This is a team that has had disastrous results trying to backfill for the retired Carl Nicks, and this move stabilizes and improves their offensive line, especially in the running game. The Bucs should be able to make tough yards behind Mankins, in short yardage situations. Keep in mind the Buccaneers reportedly had Richie Incognito in for a visit the day before the Mankins trade, so they obviously needed to make a move. From their offensive line perspective, this trade couldn’t be better.
From New England’s perspective, this appears to be a shocking downgrade. Again looking at the model, it’s a ten slot drop for the Patriots, to twenty third from thirteenth in the offensive line rankings. Why would this team make this move? Well, if we look more deeply at the history between Mankins and the Patriots, some kind of break was in the works for some-time.
Primarily this move was about salary cap space. The team was never comfortable with Mankins’ cap hit, well over ten million dollars for this year. They didn't even want to pay his rate, cap aside. It's just alot of money for a guard. The rumor was that Mankins would be shown the door eventually, perhaps as soon as after this season, for this exact reason. Unlike Tom Brady, Mankins is not one to make team-friendly deals (and Mankins held out in 2010 in fact). Also unlike Brady, Mankins is not a franchise quarterback or even a franchise left tackle. The team drafted an amazing player but he was almost too amazing for the position he played, and the priority that this team placed on that position. With Mankins’ accolades and the team’s lack of importance at that spot, sooner or later a Mankins departure was going to happen. It's easy to say that Mankins is overpaid. With this trade, they can hopefully control where he lands (out of the conference) and never have to face him in a significant revenge situation. Although it should be noted that Darrelle Revis was also traded to the Bucs and ended up back in the division within a season.
This is not the first time the Patriots have been without Mankins. Two seasons ago, Mankins was in and out of the lineup, fighting injuries. Donald Thomas stepped into that position and did alright. Last season, Mankins stepped in at tackle for the injured Nate Solder (concussion) for a week 16 contest, at Baltimore. In his place, Josh Kline manned the left guard position, and actually did pretty well. The whole offense did pretty well, trouncing the Ravens 41-7. Ironically, Mankins’ ability and versatility provided evidence that the team could live without him.
Does this mean Josh Kline will start in Mankins’ place? Although it’s certainly possible, and he's the nominal starter today, the Patriots are chock full of interior options. Jordan Devey has started all preseason for the team, and has shown versatility, playing every spot but center. Devey could have a serious shot at the job, based on his successful snaps this summer. Marcus Cannon is a bulky but athletic player on the last year of his rookie deal. The Pats would like to find a place for Cannon in the lineup, and possibly re-up him before he reaches free agency. Jon Halapio is a natural left guard who the team took in the sixth round, it’s possible he could make a move for this spot. Ryan Wendell has experience at guard, as does current center Dan Connolly. Wendell was rumored to be cut but maybe this trade gives him new life as a Patriots player?
Heck, it’s not unthinkable that the Patriots take a long shot with the recently cleared by the league Mr. Incognito. Let's not forget, the Patriots have had a history of unlikely reclamation projects in the past. For whatever reason, the media will give the Patriots (and their way) more benefit of the doubt with such a signing, compared to Incognito potentially signing with other teams. The rankings would actually like such a move, as Incognito has a far better resume (on the field) than any of the current options on the roster.
But make no mistake, none of those players compare to Logan Mankins. This is not a player who can be replaced. They will move on but they will not actually replace this player in the near term. I’ve seen media reports comparing this to the Richard Seymour trade in 2009. That is another player who the Pats have spent years trying to replace. It’s arguable that they ever did. It's arguable that the team got better without Richard Seymour.
From the perspective of the offensive line rankings, the sooner this lineup can be settled, the better it will be for the cohesion score. There is some talk that the lineup could be unsettled, with the team trying different options during the few weeks of regular season. This is not ideal. Offensive lines get better when a team allows the same players to play together, in the same positions. A revolving door at left guard would be the worst case scenario.
