PITTSBURGH — Former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Chukwuma Okorafor will play a different role for his new team than the one he played while wearing black and gold.
As Okorafor transitions from the Steelers to the Patriots, he will make a position change, moving from the right to the left side. New England director of scouting and de facto general manager Eliot Wolf said this week that Okorafor would be their starting left tackle if the season started today.
Okorafor has played all but a couple of snaps during his professional career but the vast majority of the plays he was on the field for in college at Western Michigan were spent at left tackle, according to Patriots beat writer Taylor Kyles. New England could never seem to find a reliable starting tackle last season and are hoping they got one in the former Steeler.
Okorafor was cut early in the offseason by the Steelers and got a jump on pursuing his free agent options. He wound up signing with the Patriots on a one-year contract worth $4 million at base value and could climb to as high as $8.25 million by the time the season ends.
