Dependable right guard locked in with improved efficiency; limited upside at 28, tradable contract.

Onwenu enters 2026 as the undisputed starter at right guard after years of positional uncertainty, with his skillset far better suited for an inside role than right tackle. The acquisition of veteran right tackle Morgan Moses and fellow offseason addition Garrett Bradbury created a seasoned setup that allowed Onwenu to return to his usual high levels of play in 2025. He remains the most dependable offensive lineman on the Patriots' roster despite significant personnel change around him, having missed only two of 106 possible career games due to injury and regularly ranking among team leaders in snaps played, demonstrating elite durability and reliability. His 2025 season showed improvement in pass protection efficiency, dropping his negative play rate from 5.3% to 3.7% despite a larger sample size; he surrendered only 30 quarterback disruptions and penalties compared to 35 the prior season. In the run game, the Patriots averaged 4.4 yards running to the right with nine touchdowns in that direction, and running directly behind the right guard produced 5.0 yards per carry with four scores—tops among the Patriots' five offensive line positions. However, at 28 years old with nearly 100 games and 6,000 snaps played, his potential for major development appears limited; while technical improvements and coaching stability are positives, significant jumps should not be expected at this stage of his career. Onwenu reworked his contract during the offseason, reducing his salary cap impact from $25 million to $17.5 million—a pay cut in exchange for a more favorable guarantee structure. The new deal is a one-year, $10 million contract with $16.45 million of his $17.5 million cap impact in full guarantees, making it quite tradable; the Patriots may explore trading him given he is entering the final year of his deal and does not fit the same athletic profile the team has recently sought up front.