The Patriots made it official on Sunday, announcing the acquisition of veteran offensive lineman Brian Waters. The 34-year-old guard, a five-time Pro Bowler, is a 6-foot-3, 320-pounder who was cut loose late last month by the Chiefs after 11 seasons in Kansas City. According to ESPN, Waters inked a two-year deal with the Patriots that could be worth up to $5.5 million.

On paper, New England and Waters appear to be a good fit: He is an established veteran and known high-character guy who should bring real leadership to the Patriots locker room. Meanwhile, New England is perilously thin at the right guard position — last year’s starter Stephen Neal retired, and his de facto replacement Dan Connolly suffered an ankle injury in the Patriots' preseason loss to Detroit last week and hasn’t been seen since. As for the rest of the possibilities at guard, Rich Ohrnberger was placed on injured reserve this past weekend, ending his season, while Ryan Wendell has struggled to see the field since suffering an injury in training camp, and potential guard Marcus Cannon was placed on reserve/non-football injury list on Saturday.

But does Waters have anything left in the tank? Even at an advanced age and at one of the most violent positions on the field (when it comes to the toll it takes on your body, Neal once compared it to getting into a car crash every week), Waters certainly is durable — he has started at least 14 games the last nine seasons, including 63 starts at guard the last three seasons for the Chiefs. (In fact, according to the analytical web site Pro Football Focus, he only missed 62 offensive snaps last season.) He was a Pro Bowler as late as 2008 and was recently ranked No. 67 on the NFL Network’s top 100 list.

There’s also the question about how he feels about moving from left guard to right guard. While the Patriots value versatility in their offensive linemen, Waters made his bones in Kansas City on the left side, but the Patriots have All-Pro Logan Mankins at the spot and figure to keep Mankins on the left for the foreseeable future. And as Nate Solder said on Thursday after flip-flopping between the left and right tackle spots, it can be a difficult transition to go from one side to the other.

One thing that might be in Waters' favor is that he does have some experience in a similar system — in 2009, former New England general manager Scott Pioli took over in Kansas City, and former Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis was the Chiefs' offensive coordinator in 2010, so it’s likely he has a fleeting idea as to what he might be in for when he walks into the home locker room at Gillette Stadium.

For what it’s worth, Pioli — who got off on a bad foot with Waters when Pioli first took over the Chiefs in 2009 — was extremely complimentary of Waters on the occasion of his release.

“Brian has played a key role in our progress and I am personally grateful for his contributions to this team,” Pioli said in a statement issued by the team. “He and I had a good discussion and mutually agreed that this is a sound football decision for both Brian and the Chiefs. Brian has been an integral part of this organization and will always be part of the Kansas City Chiefs. We wish him nothing but the best.”

Waters also is known as a good locker room presence: He won the 2009 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, and the last few seasons the Patriots have been able to bring in several well-traveled veterans (like Alge Crumpler) who have had a positive influence in the locker room.

“My family and I have a tremendous amount of respect for Brian both as a player and a person, and we wish him the best in the future,” Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said. “From his performance on the field over the years to being named the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2009, Brian has been an outstanding member of the Chiefs organization, and when he is ready to retire, we’ll welcome him back to do so as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs.”

Going forward, Waters has almost certainly become the starter at right guard, which means a significant drop in playing time for Connolly and Wendell (which might not be a problem considering their health). It remains to be seen if he can get up to speed in the New England offense between now and the regular-season opener, set for next Monday against the Dolphins in Miami. But you figure he’ll be ready to go sooner rather than later — at the very least, it should add an interesting wrinkle to the Patriots-Chiefs game, set for Nov. 21 in Foxboro.