Patriots: Cannon signed to an extension

The New England Patriots fortified their depth on the offensive line by signing top reserve Marcus Cannon to a two-year deal this week.  Although the narrative on Cannon is that his play has taken a step back this season – a narrative our –8.5 overall grade would support – it isn’t quite the whole story.

The Patriots like to put players in a position to succeed, but they haven’t been able to do that with Cannon as he has mostly lined up at guard instead of tackle this season.  While Cannon’s career Pass Blocking Efficiency (PBE) of 91.1 at guard is among the worst at the position, his career PBE at tackle (96.1) is among the best.

Those numbers aren’t guaranteed to pan out over a whole season, but Cannon did earn a +3.4 overall grade at tackle starting the final eight games last year in place of Sebastian Vollmer.  And perhaps most importantly, has been credited Cannon with just 1 sack allowed in his 454 career snaps at tackle.

Given Nate Solder’s regression from last season (–4.1 compared to +14.6 after Week 14) and Vollmer’s injury history, it makes sense to ensure there is a reliable player ready to step in if needed.