Cole Strange has yet to live up to his first-round billing during his New England Patriots tenure, and it could wind up costing him his job soon.

The Patriots' interior offensive lineman has been listed as a potential cut candidate for New England by NBC Sports Boston's Phil Perry and others.

Even though Strange was a first-round pick, it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that his job is in jeopardy this spring and summer. He's consistently underwhelmed through his first three years with the team. He graded out a below average guard as a rookie in 2022, allowing five sacks that year, per Pro Football Focus. Year 2 didn't see that much improvement from Strange, surrendering two sacks in 10 games, as Pro Football Focus graded him out as an average guard.

Strange was also hamstrung by injuries in 2023. He started the year with a knee issue before suffering a torn patellar tendon in his left knee late in the season.

Not only did the patellar tendon tear cause Strange to miss the remainder of the 2023 campaign, but he also missed the majority of 2024. When he returned in the final weeks of the 2024 season, Strange moved from left guard to center. He only gave up one pressure in the two games he played in, according to Pro Football Focus.

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While Strange showed a little bit of promise at center, the Patriots have made some moves at the position this offseason. They signed veteran Garrett Bradbury following his release from the Minnesota Vikings. Bradbury seems likely to be the Patriots' starting center, though, as he's taken first-team reps during organized team activities (OTAs) so far.

What Patriots HC Mike Vrabel has said about Cole Strange so far

At the league meetings in March, Mike Vrabel told reporters that Strange's stint at center last season was impressive considering his lack of experience at the position. Ahead of Wednesday's OTA practice, Vrabel was asked about Strange again.

“It's hard to really identify the linemen,” Vrabel said. “It's a lot of pass protection, it's a quick whistle, and there's no pads on. So again, Cole's working extremely hard. The versatility that he'll be able to display is something that will be critical.”