Ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots have officially confirmed that they will be returning some of their offensive line depth from the 2020 season.
A press release sent out by the Patriots confirms that Jermaine Eluemunor has signed his restricted free agent tender. The Patriots had tendered Eluemunor at the original-round level earlier in the offseason.
Eluemunor, 25, was acquired by the Patriots on eve of the 2019 season from the Baltimore Ravens. The team gave up a fourth-round pick to acquire Eluemunor and a sixth-round pick.
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Eluemunor had been a fifth-round pick by the Ravens in the 2017 NFL Draft. During his first two years with the team, the London native played in 17 games making three starts. However, the team waived him and kept him on the practice squad for about a month. So, they clearly weren't sold on his potential as an impact player.
With the Patriots, Eluemunor played in 10 games as a backup. He only played 28 total offensive snaps and 38 on special teams, but the Patriots must've liked what they saw out of him as they decided to bring him back. He'll only be making $2.133 million this year on his tender, and that's worth it to keep some depth and continuity on the offensive line.
With Eluemunor returning, the Patriots will have quite a bit of young depth on their offensive line. Yodny Cajuste and Hjalte Froholdt, two 2019 draft picks, and Korey Cunningham, acquired via a trade with the Arizona Cardinals before the start of the season, will jockey for position with Eluemunor on the depth chart.
New England Patriots
And it's also possible that the Patriots could add some more talent on the offensive line during the 2020 NFL Draft. It's a very good offensive tackle class so perhaps the team will target some more blocking help as they look to set their offense up for success without Tom Brady.