Patriots place starting left tackle on exempt/left squad list following Week 1 benching

The New England Patriots announced on Saturday that the team has placed offensive tackle Chukwuma Okorafor on the exempt/left squad list. This maneuver comes almost exactly a week after he was benched in the club’s Week 1 opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, where he started at left tackle. In a corresponding move, the club elevated guard Michael Jordan to the active roster. 

Okorafor signed a one-year deal with the Patriots back in March and was looked at as a candidate to start at the blindside tackle upon arrival, despite not playing on the left side during his NFL career. That position battle was a key storyline throughout the summer as first-year head coach Jerod Mayo searched for his top-five linemen, and Okorafor found himself starting at left tackle out of the gate. 

That position on the left side didn’t last long, however, as he was benched for Vederian Lowe just 12 snaps into the game. Per Next Gen Stats, Okorafor allowed Bengals pass rusher Trey Hendrickson to apply three pressures in five snaps (h/t Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald). 

On Monday, following the upset win over Cincinnati, Mayo acknowledged that there were “struggles” with Okorafor at that spot. 

“I think he [Okorafor] has the entire skill set to be a good tackle in this league,” Mayo said. “I would say during the game, there were some challenges. He had some challenges and some struggles over there, and [Vederian] Lowe came in and did a great job for us. Once again, it’s about competing each and every week, and we’ll see how this week of preparation goes. He [Okorafor] may be in there. I’m not sure. We’ll just have to see how the week goes.”

Okorafor entered the league as a third-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2018 out of Western Michigan. Given this latest transaction, it would seem like Okorafor’s days in Foxborough could be all but over.