Will Campbell's injury is actually good news for the Patriots' future

Will Campbell's inability to block Seahawks' edge rushers during the Super Bowl had a lot of New England Patriots fans concerned about his long-term future to hold up as a starting tackle. Fortunately, everyone in New England can now breathe a little easier about the first-round pick's ability to be the team's future at left tackle.

Campbell's admission that he played with a torn knee ligament during the playoffs is bad news for his offseason plans. It means he'll face a lengthy, arduous rehabilitation before the start of the 2026 campaign. Fortunately for the Patriots, it could also go a long way towards explaining his struggles to protect quarterback Drake Maye in recent weeks.

Will Campbell's injury coincided with brutal playoff struggles

There's no way of knowing precisely what percentage of Campbell's struggles over the last few weeks can be chalked up due to injury, but it's also reasonable to conclude it hampered his mobility. That lack of perimeter burst really caused him to struggle against standout edge rushers in the playoffs. The issue was highlighted the most during his team's anemic offensive performance against Seattle in the Super Bowl.

Campbell's play against Seattle was so bad that it raised understandable questions about his long-term place with the Patriots. The team spent a high first round pick despite some concerns over whether or not his lack of length made him better suited to play guard. Giving him a chance to stick at left tackle as a rookie was the right long-term play by Mike Vrabel and his staff, but moving him inside to guard has always been the backup plan for Campbell in the NFL.

The Patriots still have plenty of leeway with Will Campbell's future

Of course, moving him inside to guard would drastically lower his value to New England. Left tackle is a premium NFL position while guards are paid considerably less. Furthermore, spending a high first-round pick on a guard is generally viewed as poor roster construction by front office officials. As such, Campbell would always struggle to justify the franchise's investment in him if he were relegated to play on the inside.

Now that injury can help explain some of his recent struggles at tackle, it's at least reasonable for New England to give him another season to prove he can hold up on the outside. The team cannot be convinced that he's going to turn into anything more than an average starter at left tackle, but that's still a valuable commodity on a rookie contract. Retaining that kind of upside helps maintain a high ceiling for New England's offense for at least one more season.

That's why the Patriots should benefit from the recent news of Campbell's injury. Without that information coming to light, they might have felt more pressure to make a knee jerk reaction to his postseason struggles. Now the front office has a reason to give him another chance to stick at tackle. Time will tell whether buying Campbell additional time can pay off in the long run for the Patriots.