Patriots Turn To 12-Year Veteran After Sudden Depth Crisis originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New England Patriots’ offensive line depth deteriorated quickly enough to force an immediate response. New England reportedly agreed to a one-year contract with veteran guard Greg Van Roten on Monday, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The 36-year-old joins the Patriots after injuries removed their top two backup options along the interior offensive line.
Van Roten worked out for New England on Aug. 6 but left Foxboro without signing a contract. Less than two weeks later, the Patriots’ rapidly changing injury situation created an obvious opening for the experienced lineman. Ben Brown suffered an injury during New England’s preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts. Head coach Mike Vrabel said Brown will miss an “extensive” amount of time, including the remainder of the preseason.
Andrew Rupcich then suffered a reported MCL sprain and was placed on injured reserve. The injury is not considered season-ending, but his placement on injured reserve ended his opportunity to make the initial 53-man roster.
Brown entered the preseason as New England’s top reserve option at all three interior line positions. Rupcich appeared to be next on the depth chart. Losing both players left the Patriots without an experienced backup behind starting guards Alijah Vera-Tucker and Mike Onwenu and center Jared Wilson.
Van Roten immediately changes that.
Greg Van Roten Brings Rare Durability
New England is not adding a veteran who has spent the past several seasons waiting for opportunities. Van Roten started all 17 games in each of the last three seasons. He played right guard for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023 before starting 34 consecutive games across two seasons with the New York Giants.
Source: Patriots are signing veteran guard Greg Van Roten to a one-year deal.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) August 17, 2026
Giants’ starting guard the last two seasons joins the defending AFC champions. pic.twitter.com/zfpt9fb5Fl
He has appeared in 144 regular-season games and made 105 starts during a professional career that began in 2012. Van Roten also has missed only one game over the past five seasons. That durability should be especially attractive to a Patriots team suddenly searching for dependable depth.
The veteran earned a 70.2 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus last season, which ranked 22nd among qualified guards. His overall performance placed him 35th among 81 players at the position. Van Roten also offers positional versatility. Although most of his recent work has come at right guard, he has NFL experience at center and played more than 130 snaps there for the Giants in 2024 and Buffalo Bills in 2022.
That flexibility could allow him to serve as New England’s primary backup at several positions.
MORE: Mike Vrabel Reveals What Will Decide Patriots’ Preseason Plans
Patriots Needed More Than An Emergency Option
The Patriots initially responded to their injuries by signing Darrian Dalcourt and Joe Michalski over the weekend. Neither player has appeared in an NFL regular-season game. Jacob Rizy and Mehki Butler replaced Brown and Rupcich during the preseason tie against Indianapolis. New England also has James Hudson, JonDarius Morgan and recently signed linemen Dalcourt and Michalski competing for roles.
Vrabel indicated Monday morning that the Patriots wanted to evaluate their younger linemen before deciding whether another addition was necessary. He also made it clear the front office would continue monitoring the rest of the league.
Hours later, New England reached its agreement with Van Roten.
The move does not mean Van Roten will immediately challenge Vera-Tucker or Onwenu for a starting job. It gives the Patriots something they badly lacked after the injuries: a proven player who can enter the lineup without being overwhelmed by the moment. Van Roten has played for the Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Raiders and Giants. He also spent time with the Seattle Seahawks and Jacksonville Jaguars and played for the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts.
Foxboro will become the ninth stop of his professional career.
There also is a preexisting connection within the organization. Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf worked in Green Bay’s front office when Van Roten originally joined the Packers as an undrafted free agent out of Penn.
Van Roten now will have little time to settle in.
The Patriots will host the Philadelphia Eagles for two joint practices before the teams meet in a preseason game Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. Those practices should give New England an early indication of how quickly its newest lineman can learn the offense. The Patriots entered training camp believing their interior line had experienced depth. Two injuries changed that outlook almost overnight.
Their response was to sign a player with more than 100 career starts and a recent history of being available every week.