Following the departure of veteran left tackle Trent Brown in free agency, the Patriots are now seeking a replacement for his position. As organized team activities have commenced, free agent acquisition Chukwuma Okorafor has been seen taking first-team snaps at the position, as reported by Mike Reiss of ESPN.

Okorafor, a former third-round pick for the Steelers, has spent the first six years of his NFL career in Pittsburgh. After initially only starting due to injuries in his first two seasons, Okorafor secured the starting role for the following two seasons. Upon completing his rookie contract, he signed a three-year, $29.25MM extension with the Steelers. However, after losing his starting position to first-round rookie Broderick Jones last season, Okorafor was released to free agency by the Steelers.

Now with the Patriots, Okorafor has the chance to earn a starting role and fill the void left by Brown. He will be competing with Vederian Lowe, who started eight games as an injury replacement for the Patriots last season, and third-round rookie Caedan Wallace from Penn State.

Additionally, at New England OTAs, second-year lineman Atonio Mafi was observed taking snaps at center behind starting center David Andrews. Mafi, a former fifth-round pick who transitioned from defensive line to guard at UCLA, had not previously played center but made five starts at left guard as a rookie. The team’s new offensive line coaches, Scott Peters and Robert Kugler, appear to be interested in expanding Mafi’s role on the line.

Here are some other rumors circulating in the AFC East:

• Prior reports indicated that Jets head coach Robert Saleh was considering reducing the responsibilities of offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. This consideration arose after Hackett appeared to struggle after the early season loss of starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers. A recent report from ESPN’s Rich Cimini suggests that Saleh is now more involved in the offense himself, closely monitoring Hackett as their roles intensify in 2024.
• Long-time Bills starting linebacker Matt Milano missed 12 games last season due to a knee injury. The team aims to reunite Milano with last year’s breakout starter Terrel Bernard, but their reunion will not happen during OTAs. According to Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN, Milano is progressing well in his recovery, but it will likely be closer to training camp before he returns to the field.