News service report

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Do the New England Patriots have the answer to their all-important offensive line question? It’s too early to say with certainty, but the early returns were positive.

With Vederian Lowe, New England’s top choice at left tackle for the last several weeks, sidelined because of an injury, the Patriots trotted out a new-look line in Thursday’s practice. Chukwuma Okorafor shifted to left tackle, Mike Onwenu bumped out to right tackle, and rookie Layden Robinson was elevated from the second unit to fill the right guard spot, with David Andrews at center and Sidy Sow at left guard.

Robinson, a three-year starter at Texas A&M, has fared well in practice and preseason games in recent weeks, and Coach Jerod Mayo liked what he saw from the fourth-round draft pick with the top unit.

“I would say it was encouraging,” Mayo said before Friday’s practice. “It was encouraging to see that. Anytime you can sandwich a rookie between two veteran players, that’s always going to be a benefit for the player and also the team. We’re still trying to figure out that combination, but I feel like we’re getting pretty close.”

The Patriots kept that combo intact Friday, with backup center Nick Leverett occasionally subbing in for locked-in starter Andrews. It’s possible another shakeup could occur once Lowe returns from the undisclosed injury he suffered during Wednesday’s practice, but this latest look was the most promising the Patriots have shown since training camp began last month.

So, is offensive line coach Scott Peters concerned with depth at that position?

Yes, but so is everyone around the NFL.

“There’s always concerns with depth, at the tackle in particular,” Peters said. “There’s not a ton of guys walking planet Earth that fit the bill for that. And that’s every team in the NFL. But for us, I mean, with the guys we have here, we feel it can do the job and can do it well.”

Much of that is due to the emergence of Robinson, who’s impressed teammates with his power. The 23-year-old was New England’s second-highest-graded lineman by Pro Football Focus over the first two weeks of the preseason, trailing only Andrews.

“(He’s) very, very strong and smart,” said Sow, the clear top option at left guard with Cole Strange still recovering from last year’s season-ending knee injury. “Obviously, he’s young. He just got into the league. He’s like me last year. Getting here, we don’t know a lot. But physically, that guy is so damn strong. He does certain things sometimes and I’m just like, ‘What the hell?’ I wish I could do some of those things.”

The Patriots will close out their preseason schedule Sunday night against the Washington Commanders, with cutdown day following two days later.

SUNDAY’S GAME will be the final opportunity for players to prove to Eliot Wolf, Jerod Mayo and the rest of the shot-callers that they deserve a spot on the 53-man roster, which must be finalized by 4 p.m. Tuesday.

“This game, we say it doesn’t count, but it matters,” Mayo said before Friday’s practice. “I think there are still a few positions where it’s a battle. We’ve been talking about competition all year, and that’s still my message right now.”

Most of the Patriots’ healthy players will see action Sunday night, according to Mayo, including all four quarterbacks: Jacoby Brissett, Drake Maye, Joe Milton III and Bailey Zappe.

“Jacoby is going to start the game off,” the head coach said. “Drake will play, as well. Joe will play, as well. … Zappe will play, (as well).”

Brissett has been the Patriots’ starting quarterback throughout the spring and summer, but Maye has closed the gap between himself and his veteran position mate. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said on Thursday the first-round rookie had a “really impressive” back half of training camp and is playing with confidence, though Brissett remains the favorite to start Week 1.

“If you guys remember early on, (Maye) would throw interceptions and he would get so down on himself,” Mayo said. “I would say now, as we exit camp, he’s done a lot better job being able to pull the nose up on the plane when it seems like it’s going down. I think that’s an important quality.”

ELIOT WOLF, New England’s executive vice president of player personnel, joked this offseason that he had to apologize to defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington for drafting just one defensive player.

But if that player makes the Patriots’ 53-man roster, his biggest impact will likely come on special teams. Cornerback Marcellas Dial has been working across from Brenden Schooler as a top gunner on the punt team, filling in the role left void by retired special-teams captain Matthew Slater.

“In college, I played a little bit of it, but here it’s become a big part of my identity,” Dial said.

Dial said he’s been learning from Schooler, assistant special teams coach Tom Quinn and “especially” Slater, who’s now a special assistant to the head coach.

Dial is fighting for a roster spot with fellow cornerbacks Alex Austin, Marco Wilson, Isaiah Bolden, Shaun Wade, Azizi Hearn and Mikey Victor, behind starters Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones and Marcus Jones. He knows his role as a gunner will help. He’s also on the team’s top kick return team as a blocker.

“Special teams is a big part of it, especially with me coming into a stacked DB room. So, I just gotta get in where I fit in, and I feel like special teams is a way that I can potentially make this team, make this roster.”

Dial acknowledged he had a “rough game” against the Eagles in Week 2 of the preseason. He let up eight catches on 10 targets for 106 yards while primarily covering bigger receivers and tight ends.

“I look at it as a learning experience, because not every game is going to go how you want it to,” Dial said. “It’s how you come back from it. This game, I’m going to be more locked in and go out there and try to get better at something, no matter what it is.”

NOTES: Mayo would like to restart the Patriots’ streak of having an undrafted free agent make the roster, but said “my job is to put the best player on the field no matter where you drafted them.” … The top candidate on the Patriots’ current roster is safety Dell Pettus, who has shown a nose for the ball in training camp practices. … Running backs will feature prominently in new coordinator Alex Van Pelt’s offensive scheme. In addition to being a run-heavy squad, Van Pelt also wants the Patriots to be “the best screen (pass) team in the league,” according to reserve back JaMycal Hasty. New England’s longest gain in last week’s preseason game was a 23-yard screen to Hasty.