New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel opened up about the possibility of rookie offensive tackle Caleb Lomu repping inside at guard with the position decimated by injuries.

According to Vrabel, both starting guards from last week's game against the New York Jets will "probably not" play in Thursday's primetime game against the Chicago Bears. Meanwhile, starting right tackle Morgan Moses has a shot at suiting up to play.

If Moses plays, that frees up the Patriots' promising young tackle to contribute meaningful reps for a third straight week. So that begs the question: Could Lomu see action at left or right guard to make up for the shortage of offensive linemen?

"I think that Caleb will have to be ready to go at multiple positions," Vrabel told reporters on Tuesday, via Patriots Wire's Sophie Weller.

The Patriots probably want to keep Lomu freed up to contribute at left or right tackle if Moses or Will Campbell goes down. Keep in mind that Campbell injured his knee over a week ago in the win over the Las Vegas Raiders. So both Campbell and Moses are banged up.

As for the interior replacements, the Patriots subbed in Matt Pryor and Walter Rouse last week. That appears to be the likely duo this week as well. The team also signed offensive linemen Jacob Rizy and Andrew Rupcich to the practice squad.

With that said, Lomu is a versatile player with the ability to line up at every position on the offensive front in an emergency situation.

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