Replacing David Andrews is a new challenge for Nick Leverett

When David Andrews exited Sunday’s game with what is expected to be a season-ending shoulder injury, Nick Leverett was the next man up.

He has big shoes to fill replacing the Patriots’ captain, who has held the position for nearly a decade.

“I thought Nick did a decent job stepping in there this past game,” coach Jerod Mayo said. “And now that he’ll get more reps during practice, you expect him to continue to get better every single day. So, that’s our expectation.”

Leverett joined the Patriots this offseason after spending first three years of his career in Tampa Bay. He made 10 starts for the Buccaneers in 2022, which was Tom Brady’s final season.

During that season, Brady spoke about the importance of pushing younger players such as Leverett in practice as part of their development. It’s hard to put too much on first-and-second year players, Brady said, but it’s on veterans to bring them up to speed.

“That’s the reality. They’re getting used to playing,” Brady said. “They haven’t played a lot of football. So the guys that have played a lot of football, we’ve got to do a better job, and that’s part of what leadership is all about. It’s pushing people in practice, and it’s trying to get a bigger sense of urgency.”

“And when they don’t go well, it feels really hard and it feels like a challenge. I think the point is you either back down to the challenge or you step up to the challenge.”

Leverett, now 27 and in his fourth NFL season, said he cherishes the time he spent working with Brady.

“You’ve got to understand who you are blocking for back there,” Leverett said Wednesday. “It was older Tom Brady. You didn’t want him to get hurt back there considering his age and everything, but it’s also like you’re blocking for the G.O.A.T. We put that weight on our shoulder, and we did the best that we could do. We did fairly decent.”

“It was an honor to block for him, honestly. I still look back to this day and remember good moments of blocking for him and everything like that. It’s definitely something I’ll cherish forever.”

He’ll use that experience, along with the coaching he has picked up in New England, as he fills in for Andrews. Playing center comes with responsibilities beyond just blocking, such as calling out protections. Backing up Andrews and Pro Bowler Ryan Jensen helped to prepare him for this moment, he said.

“Just playing center, that’s our job,” Leverett said. “Just being able to direct and steer the ship, putting all guys on the same page, and just leading from the front. We help the quarterbacks out, take stress off the quarterback just communicating those calls at the right point and stuff like that.”

Leverett said all five players on the offensive line have to step up and provide leadership.

“That’s one thing that [offensive line coach] Scott [Peters] teaches to us,” Leverett said. “Next man up mentality. Not missing a step no matter who is in there, keeping the same rhythm going, five guys on the same page rolling the boat.”

Mayo said losing Andrews is a tough blow for the team. Seeing Andrews go down was rough, Leverett said.

“It hurt to see D.A. go down, but also it’s like not letting the team down because it’s a next man up mentality,” Leverett said. “You’ve just got to balance it. We’re there for Dave no matter what.”

“I’ve been checking on him these last couple of days, but it’s also a thing that we owe to him not to let him down. He’s a big leader on this team. Obviously we wish he could be out there. It’s just putting it on our backs to make him proud.”