If Alijah Vera-Tucker can nail down the starting job at left guard, the Patriots’ offensive line may reach the next level
FOXBOROUGH — Talk to anyone along the Patriots’ offensive line about newcomer Alijah Vera-Tucker, and the initial response is a big smile and a laugh.
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Left tackle Will Campbell grinned when asked what it was like playing with the former Jet. Right tackle Morgan Moses, who played with Vera-Tucker in New York, was part of the recruiting process that brought him to New England. And center Jared Wilson hailed Vera-Tucker’s West Coast “swag.”
“That’s my guy, man. He’s such a good dude. Laid-back dude. He’s from Cali, so — you know — Cali guys have got some swag,” Wilson said. “Cool dude. Great guy. Great football player.”
“That’s definitely great to hear,” Vera-Tucker said Tuesday afternoon. “Believe it or not, everybody’s got a little bit of swag in that room, you know what I’m saying? My boy Jared being from Georgia, you know he’s a dog. Will, a dog. Mike [Onwenu] is a dog. Everybody’s a dog on that line.”
There’s a reason why Vera-Tucker’s new teammates are so happy to see him, and it’s not just because of his swag. The offensive line is in a state of flux, as Wilson is moving from left guard to replace Garrett Bradbury. If Vera-Tucker can step in at left guard and be a consistent presence next to Campbell, it’ll represent a big step in helping the group get to the next level.
“He’s been great,” Campbell said of the 27-year-old Vera-Tucker. “I knew about AVT before he even came here. He’s a phenomenal player, and I’m excited to play with him. He’s done great. He’s meshed with the room really well. Just excited to continue to grow in that relationship on and off the field, and excited to see where it goes.”
The 6-foot-4-inch, 308-pound Vera-Tucker, who signed a three-year, $42 million deal this past offseason, does come with some baggage because of his injury history over the last three-plus seasons. A first-round pick of the Jets out of Southern Cal in 2021, he suffered a season-ending triceps injury in 2022, a torn Achilles in 2023, and another torn triceps that caused him to miss last season.
But when healthy, he’s been a force who has shown an excellent knack for versatility. In his four years with the Jets, he started all 43 games he played, with 16 at left guard, 20 at right guard, 1 at left tackle, and 6 at right tackle.
While that level of versatility is appealing, through the first three workouts of training camp, it’s clear the Patriots would love to slot him in at left guard, where he’s taken all the reps with a reasonable facsimile of the starting offensive line and appeared to hold up well. On Tuesday, he was quick to remind reporters that he’s been a consistent on-field presence.
“I’m feeling really good right now,” he said. “I mean, if you guys just look, I’m out there every play, competing. I just feel really good out there.
“We’ve still got a lot of work to do. I know I’ve still got a lot of work to do. I’m nowhere near where I want to be yet, but that’s what training camp is for.”
It’s early, but it’s easy to see a combination of Vera-Tucker and Campbell teaming to protect Drake Maye’s blind side this season.
“I think he makes my job really easy,” Vera-Tucker said of Campbell. “I think he’s a very smart two-year guy, and I can see him making that very big [second-year] jump. I only say that because he’s a competitor. I know what kind of talent he has. But he knows he’s still got a lot of work to do. I know I have a lot of work to do.”
While the early returns on Vera-Tucker have been positive, the first real measuring stick will come later this week when pads go on. That’s when he’ll have a chance to really start getting after it.
“When you’ve got the pads on, it’s full go,” said Vera-Tucker. “Everybody knows that. We all hit. You know what I’m saying? So it’s 100 percent go. It’s grind time.”
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