Patriots helmet Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The New England Patriots were already expected to have one of the worst offensive lines in the league this upcoming season, and it looks like the situation is even more dire than previously thought as left guard Cole Strange could miss as much as the first half of the season.

On Tuesday morning, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that Cole Strange was expected to miss the start of the regular season for the New England Patriots and there’s a chance that he won’t be ready to return to the team until midway through the season.

During a recent press conference Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo offered his reaction to Strange’s status.

“Yeah, that is an interesting one,” Mayo said according to a transcript from the team. “He is another guy, you would normally say day-by-day. He’s more of a, let’s say, week-by-week or you can go month-by-month if you want to. But he is working hard, you know, he is doing his rehab. He is here every day. He is in the meeting room, so I am happy where he is.”

It’s obviously a pretty terrible situation for the Patriots as Strange was one of their most dependable returning players. We’ll have to see how they handle things without him.

[Pro Football Talk]