The Patriots have placed the franchise tag on guard Joe Thuney.
The #Patriots with an interesting move: They are franchise tagging standout Joe Thuney. This allows them to keep him… or trade him.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 16, 2020
Thuney was by far New England’s best lineman last season and was projected to be one of the most sought after guards on the market.
With the Patriots line in shambles last season, Thuney was the one piece of reliability and consistency. In 1,140 snaps in 2019, he had zero penalties and allowed just one sack.
The division-rival Dolphins were expected to be the odds-on favorite to land the second-team All-Pro, but with the tag, Thuney will be back in New England.
Will he be protecting Tom Brady? That is yet to be determined, and still very much up in the air.
