The New England Patriots pulled off an upset win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1, but it was a rough debut for former Steelers OT Chukwuma Okorafor. Okorafor got the start at left tackle but lasted just 12 snaps before being pulled in favor of Vederian Lowe, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.
Per Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald, Okorafor was giving up a lot of pressure off the edge, leading the team to make a quick switch.
In his postgame press conference, head coach Jerod Mayo said it was “good” to get Lowe in the game and that he helped the offensive line improve.
“Having Lowe here as well, it was good to get him in the game, and they were moving bodies,” Mayo said via the Patriots’ YouTube channel.
It’s been a rough go of things for Okorafor lately, as he was flagged three times for illegal formation in the team’s final preseason game against the Washington Commanders.
A third-round pick by the Steelers back in 2018, he played 77 games for Pittsburgh, starting 59. He played just two snaps in his Steelers career at left tackle, but New England moved him to the left side after signing him this offseason. That could be one contributing factor to his struggles with the Patriots, although he wasn’t super impressive with the Steelers, either, getting benched midway through last season for rookie Broderick Jones.
After Mayo praised Lowe’s performance today, it’ll be interesting to see if the Patriots stick with him or if they turn back to Okorafor. Given how quick the hook was for Okorafor, he clearly was already on a short leash, and his struggles in just 12 snaps today aren’t a good sign for him going forward.
Pittsburgh quickly moved on from Okorafor after last season, releasing him in February, which didn’t come as a surprise after his benching last season. It’ll be tough for New England to look to move him back to the right side after he worked all offseason at left tackle. The Patriots already have a proven right tackle in Mike Onwenu although if they really want to, they could kick him inside due to his guard experience.
Still, it all doesn’t bode well for Okorafor being an impact player on New England’s offense line this season, and it doesn’t seem as if the coaching staff has a lot of faith in him given his quick hook.
