The reshuffling of the Patriots offensive line continued this week as the team traded long time right Marcus Cannon to the Houston Texans in a deal that involves a swap of mid to late round draft picks according to ESPN.

The Patriots drafted the 6-6 335 Cannon out of TCU in the fifth round in the 2011 NFL Draft. Cannon played in 115 games for the team (69 starts, 11 playoff starts.)

Cannon opted out of the 2020 season over COVID 19 concerns. Cannon is a non-Hodgkins lymphoma survivor. A native Texan, Cannon now gets a chance to play in his home state.

Cannon was scheduled to make $9.6 million this season. With the trade, the Patriots save rough $6.5 million dollars.

The trade makes sense for the Patriots. Offensive tackle is a position of strength for the team with Trent Brown, Isaiah Wynn, Michael Onwenu, Justin Herron, Korey Cunningham and Yodny Cajuste on the roster.

The trade also gives the Patriots added cap flexibility which is vitally important with free agency starting on Wednesday.