When Nate Solder left the Patriots in March of last year, there was a good amount of nervous hand-wringing amongst fans throughout the New England area. After all, Solder had been Tom Brady’s blindside protector for six seasons, dating all the way back to 2011. The veteran out of the University of Colorado had been a stalwart force in both pass protection and in run-blocking; once upon a time, he’d even caught a touchdown pass in the AFC Championship Game for the team.
Understandably, Pats fans feared for the worst. Bill Belichick selected a promising guard out of Georgia, Isaiah Wynn, in last year’s draft, and many wondered if perhaps Wynn would slide over and learn to play tackle in order to fill the vacant spot.