Patriots starting left guard Joe Thuney to undergo foot surgery

While the New England Patriots' offensive line was a position of continuity the last two years, it currently is in a state of flux especially on the left side. Not only did the team lose starting tackle Nate Solder through free agency, it also will have to spend the next few weeks without starting guard Joe Thuney: According to ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss, the 25-year old will soon undergo foot surgery.

While the procedure is not expected to impact his availability for the 2018 season, Thuney will naturally miss the upcoming next phase of offseason workouts as well as organized team activities. So far this year, the 2016 third-round draft pick who started all 38 of his career games at left guard has been present for the Patriots' voluntary offseason program but was a limited participant and spotted wearing a walking boot.

Now, he will go under the knife which in turn will shine the spotlight on New England's depth players along the interior offensive line. Third-year man Ted Karras is projected to be the next man up, with Jason King and free agency signing Luke Bowanko also competing for practice reps and ultimately a spot on the team's 53-man roster. Furthermore, first-round draft pick Isaiah Wynn is a dark-horse candidate to play at left guard.

The 23rd overall selection of this year's draft is expected to compete for Solder's former spot at left tackle but comes with plenty of experience at guard as well: Wynn started 19 games as Georgia's left guard before moving to the outside to become the team's starting left tackle last year. Due to his smaller stature the 6'2 lineman, there was pre-draft speculation that the 21-year old would make the move back to guard at the next level.