FOXBORO – The Patriots were plenty busy this offseason. After multiple trades and free agent signings, however, the team’ biggest acquisition won’t score a single point, make a tackle or play a snap in the 2016 NFL season.

After a brief retirement, Dante Scarnecchia is back in the fold as the Patriots offensive line coach. And two former Patriots -- Logan Mankins and Matt Light -- expect things to change drastically on the O-line.

“Oh, it’ll mean a lot. He’s a very good coach,” said Mankins, who was in Foxboro on Friday for Light’s third annual Fools’ Night Out fundraiser. “[Scarnecchia will] just [bring] a demanding style, which he coaches with. He’ll always have his guys prepared and if they’re not prepared he’ll find someone that is prepared. That’s the best thing about Dante. Those young guys have a rude awakening coming. They have never had anyone like him. They better be in shape because he’s going to test you.”

Scarnecchia's return comes after a disastrous playoff run, in which quarterback Tom Brady was battered and bruised.

“It’s hard to say you have an instant upgrade unless you go out and get a big free agent signing… I think this is as sure of a bet that you can ever make,” Light said. “You’ve got a guy in Dante who’s been around forever. They really need a guy like that. I tell people all the time, I wasn’t real excited how things ended and how the line went out there and just how we attacked Denver.”

Both players had Scarnecchia as their position coach for the duration of their tenure in Foxboro – Light for 11 seasons and Mankins for nine.

The problems on the Patriots offensive line started long before their loss to the Broncos in the conference championship. In 2015, Brady was sacked 38 times after being sacked 21 times in 2014. The shaky pass protection came to a boiling point in Mile High Stadium. The offensive line allowed 20 quarterback hits, the most in a game since 2006 when Cleveland allowed 20 hits on Charlie Frye.

The performance ultimately led to the team parting ways with Dave DeGuglielmo, who took over for Scarnecchia in 2014.

Scarnecchia just turned 68, but expect him to strike fear into the team’s young offensive linemen. Mankins and Lights both said their former offensive line coach is extremely challenging, but has the ability to get the best out of his players and got the best out of them.

“Oh, tons. He was very influential in my career and where I made it to,” said Mankins, who retired last month after 11 NFL seasons. “I have a great deal of respect for him.”

“100 percent,” Light said. “We did [have a love-hate relationship]. It was well documented. I think anybody that you call boss, if you say oh I just love this or that and there’s not a ‘but,’ he’s probably not pushing you hard enough. While there’s definitely times we butted heads, I respect how he goes about each and every day. It’s what made him. it’s what made us as an offensive line as good as we were.”

The Patriots have several young players who have never experienced playing under Scarnecchia. Players like Bryan Stork, David Andrews, Tre’ Jackson and Shaq Mason will soon learn that life is about to get more challenging in Foxboro.

“Those young guys, they have no idea what they’re in for,” Light said. “They’re going to figure it out real quick.”