Caleb Lomu’s ‘rough reps’ show he’s nowhere near ready to replace Will Campbell at LT

The New England Patriots seemed to have a battle going on at left tackle between Will Campbell and Caleb Lomu, but after the second preseason game, it may not be much of a challenge. After Campbell’s struggles in his rookie season, the Patriots selected Caleb Lomu in the first round, a sign that they were looking to at least find some consistency at the position.

Lomu had a chance against the Philadelphia Eagles to show that he could compete for the spot, but his reps didn’t give much hope. His pass protection was not up to par, and the run game was stuffed if the ball was going to the left side.

Some rough reps from Caleb Lomu last night. pic.twitter.com/2EiaL8K0bQ

— Zack Cox (@zm_cox) August 23, 2026

It’s probably not Lomu’s time just yet, which means Campbell could be the starting tackle again heading into his second year. Campbell started his rookie season pretty strong, but it was an injury that slowed him down toward the middle of the season.

“I felt like before I got hurt [Nov. 23], I was playing some solid ball,” Campbell said via ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “And after that, I didn’t play the way I needed to play. So just learning from it, fixing it. After the season, I was just worried about getting healthy, building my strength back to where I knew it needed to be and coming into [spring practices] ready to go, trying to do everything I can to put myself in the best position possible to help the team.”

Since then, Campbell has reached out to some of the best tackles in the league, such as Tristian Wirfs and Lane Johnson, to help him get back to what he was before the injury.

All eyes will be on Campbell this season, and if he can turn things around, it would be a plus for the Patriots.

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