The Boston Herald's Jeff Howe is one of the best in the business and he spent some time breaking down the New England Patriots offensive line and how they can improve for 2016.
The big takeaway? No one is safe as a starter. Nate Solder is safe on the roster, but that's about it.
Sebastian Vollmer and Marcus Cannon are possible salary cap casualties if the Patriots want to take advantage of the surprisingly deep tackle market in free agency. Guards Josh Kline, Shaq Mason, and Tre Jackson didn't do enough to stamp their name on a starting spot, and Bill Belichick has never been afraid of cutting a 4th round pick in their second season.
What might be even more interesting is that the center position isn't going to be gifted to incumbent Bryan Stork.
"There's also a battle at center between 2014 fourth-rounder Bryan Stork and undrafted rookie David Andrews," Howe writes. "Stork regressed this season, possibly because of his array of injuries, and an offensive line evaluator who studies the Pats closely said the difference between the pair is negligible."
Perhaps former offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo is responsible for the decline in technique and ability from the offensive line, but the notion that Andrews and Stork are interchangeable is fairly shocking. Some will point to the fact that the offense was far better with Andrews than with Stork, but Stork was leading a ravaged Pinto offense, while Andrews was driving a luxury sports car.
If cornerback was the position of scrutiny in 2015, the offensive line will certainly receive the most attention in 2016.