The Trent Brown Conundrum: What would Patriots do without him?

FOXBORO -- Trent Brown made it to Tuesday's practice. But he didn't last long.

After missing Monday's mandatory minicamp session, the first of three scheduled for this week, the veteran tackle was present for workout No. 2 for about 10 minutes.

Brown participated in the warmup period with teammates and appeared to be moving at a slightly slower speed than the rest of the group. Then he ran through the first position-specific drill of the day -- blocking a heavy bag and tossing it forward -- by himself after several groups of three linemen went ahead of him.

When Patriots offensive linemen moved onto another drill, Brown watched with his helmet unbuckled and resting atop his head while his hands grabbed at the sides of his jersey by his hips. As this went on, the team's director of performance and rehabilitation Johann Bilsborough had a lengthy chat with head coach Bill Belichick. Bilsborough then approached the offensive line group, spoke with assistant line coach Billy Yates, and eventually walked with Brown down to the lower fields behind Gillette Stadium.

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Through two mandatory practices, Brown participated in one drill. He missed Monday's work, reportedly, because of a hail storm in Texas that delayed his travel.

After placing among the league leaders in penalties last season, Brown remains the most talented option on the Patriots roster at tackle. The team signed free agents Calvin Anderson and Riley Reiff in the offseason and re-signed Conor McDermott to play the same position. Rookie Sidy Sow is getting worked out at tackle after spending the vast majority of his collegiate career at guard.

Without Brown, though, this group is lacking a true high-upside anchor. Even with a nagging penalty problem last year, Brown still graded out as the No. 12th-best pass-protecting left tackle among players with at least 1,000 snaps, per Pro Football Focus.

The question has never been about ability for Brown, who helped the team to a Super Bowl title in 2018 as a dominating left tackle. It has been about dependability. His weight has been monitored closely throughout his time in New England. On the field there have been lapses, like the one that led to a strip sack and score by the Dolphins in last year's season-opening loss. In 2021, as a right tackle, he played only nine games as he wrestled with a nagging calf issue that landed him on injured reserve weeks after he initially suffered the injury.

Now -- thanks to an avoidable error in the timing of his travel -- Brown has missed valuable reps in the spring as the team introduces its third different offensive coordinator in as many years. Letting him go and saving $8 million in cap dollars might be the play for Belichick, freeing up cash to add another player while sending a message to the rest of the locker room about what's tolerable.

But there's a risk there. Without Brown, the picture at tackle is dicey.

Reiff (not re-signed by Chicago after contributing to an underachieving Bears offensive line in 2022) has gone from working with the top offense at right tackle to looking like a backup. McDermott (signed off the Jets practice squad last year) has slid into the top right tackle role for minicamp. Anderson (seven starts for Denver in 14 games last season) looks like the top choice at left tackle for now, but he appeared to be beaten cleanly on three separate occasions Tuesday: twice by Matthew Judon and once by Deatrich Wise.

Perhaps there's a move the Patriots can make to add an established tackle who can come in to give that unit a boost. Jonah Williams of the Bengals is suddenly fighting for a starting role after Cincinnati acquired Orlando Brown to play left tackle this offseason. If Belichick could finagle a deal to swing someone of Williams' caliber, that would represent a boon for his team's tackle depth. But until a move gets made, the Patriots have what they have.

The discussion with Brown is in some ways similar to the discussion surrounding DeAndre Hopkins and his fit in New England. Is he a perfect match for the culture Belichick has tried to cultivate in Foxboro? Nope. But he's talented. And for the Patriots to get where they want to go in 2023, they're going to need all the talent they can cobble together.

Though it doesn't look good for Brown right now thanks to his minicamp no-show, based on how the tackle position is shaping up at the moment for the Patriots, they might not be able to afford to move forward without him.