The New England Patriots and Mike Vrabel have a major undertaking on their hands. They need to revamp a roster that has logged a record of 7-27 for two years running. That's not exactly what Patriot Nation is expecting.
But now Vrabel's job is to set things right, and his roster has to make all the difference. Lots of attention is paid to coaching hires. While that's fine, if the team doesn't have talent, you can coach 365 and 24/7, and the result will be the same: 3-14 or 4-13. Vrabel's Job One is assembling a competitive roster. Everything else is secondary, and tough choices have to be made.
Since the offseason is the place to set all the pieces in place, now is the time for Vrabel to put his imprint on the roster.
The goals should be to sign only top free agents with his available cap space, draft only the best possible players, stress quality over quantity, and significantly prune the current roster. The goal: make the 2025 Patriots competitive. Let's explore this in more detail.
Patriots' Mike Vrabel's and the current roster, who should stay or go?
The current Patriots roster consists of a few top players, a limited number of decent NFL players, and a plethora of waiver-wire-level players. Any resemblance to a playoff-contending team is purely coincidental. This current team will never win anything. Vrabel has a major restructuring job on his hands.
On the plus side, Vrabel has a top young quarterback in Drake Maye. He also has two decent running backs in Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson. His wide receiver room is bereft of talent, except Pop Douglas and maybe Kayshon Boutte. The offensive line has David Andrews and ... David Andrews, nothing else.
On defense, the picture is brighter. Vrabel has All-Pro, Christian Gonzalez at corner. He also has Ja'Whaun Bentley, a solid NFL inside linebacker who is returning, and Christian Eliss, who has potential. On the D-line, Keion White, who, if correctly deployed at defensive tackle, will be a star, is there, along with Christian Barmore, who unfortunately has had health issues. If he returns, he and White will wreak havoc.
Patriots Mike Vrabel has to dramatically prune his roster
Mike Vrabel has an enviable position. His roster is so bad that almost any action he takes can't help but be positive. Vrabel has to be ready to take out the broom and sweep away all of the waiver-wire-level players brought in by Executive Vice President of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf and company. Hopefully, his hire, Vice President of Player Personnel Ryan Cowden, will be the man who does it.
On defense, tackle Daniel Ekuale is a free agent. He can be a backup if he's signed on the cheap. Davon Godchaux is nothing special but a substantial dead cap hit. He'll stay. The defensive backfield is composed primarily of waiver-wire types and can be pruned. Free agent Jonathan Jones should be thanked and allowed to leave.
On offense, Vrabel should cut ties with most of the eminently forgettable wide-receiver group, including Kendrick Bourne, a trade candidate, if you can get even a sixth or seventh for him. Bourne has a cap hit of $7.9M and a dead cap hit of only $1.4M. He's an easy cut if he can't be traded.
No one on the offensive line, except maybe Wolf's two higher draftees in 2024, third-round tackle Caedan Wallace and fourth-round guard Layden Robinson, is a candidate to be retained. Neither impressed in 2024, so if they're sent packing, it won't hurt and might send a good signal.
The list also includes former first-round bust guard Cole Strange. He has a $3.9M cap hit and the same dead cap hit. That will likely mean he stays on the roster as a backup for another season before he's sent packing. Belichick's selection of Strange was a laughable disaster from the outset.
At running back, Vrabel has Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson. Stevenson should be traded if they can get a third or fourth-round pick. His fumbles are unacceptable. Gibson is nothing special. At tight end, Vrabel has Hunter Henry, and that's it. That would be fine if he can get a good deal on the Patriots' free agent, Austin Hooper. Otherwise, draft a tight end in the middle or late rounds.
That's Vrabel's dilemma—or maybe an opportunity. The Patriots' roster is loaded with waiver-wire-level players, many of whom can be jettisoned without much consequence. It's better for Vrabel to do that and put his stamp on the team rather than accept what's there. Unfortunately, the group that assembled this mess is still in Foxborough, and that may be a significant problem for Vrabel.