The New England Patriots are set to launch their 2025 NFL season. It's been a long but interesting and productive offseason thanks to Mike Vrabel being in command of the football operation at Gillette Stadium.
Vrabel's introduction in January has changed the entire Foxborough landscape from an amateur hour to a full offseason of top NFL personnel professionalism. Vrabel is a seasoned and successful NFL coach. Additionally, he has proven to be an astute personnel evaluator this offseason.
Regardless, rebuilding an entire NFL team almost from scratch (he did have a quarterback and several other very good players) is no easy task and takes time. There are questions to be answered, and three will be pivotal to answer in September to ascertain where his 2025 team is headed.
Mike Vrabel has to get these three challenges right during the Patriots 2025 season
Can the offensive line deliver on the faith behind them from the coaching staff?
The new head coach has invested heavily in remodeling the offensive line from top to bottom; four of the starters will be new to the Patriots. The only one who remains is Mike Onwenu, and he'd probably be gone if there were anyone capable of replacing him.
Mike Vrabel added two veteran starters in free agency, right tackle Morgan Moses and center Garrett Bradbury, and drafted two rookies who'll start: first-round pick, left tackle Will Campbell, and guard Jared Wilson, a third-round pick. The 2025 starters can't help but be a significant improvement over the 2024 version on paper.
The question is whether they can stay healthy (there's little depth to speak of), protect quarterback Drake Maye, and open running lanes for the backs. If not, Vrabel may have to heavily invest in the trade market before the deadline to shore up this unit, or the season will be in jeopardy.
Will the reconstructed receiving corps be a more productive group than the 2024 season?
In addition to the offensive line, the other unit most in need of a makeover was his receiving corps. Again, Vrabel cleaned house here and added better players. Free agents Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins, both former Buffalo Bills, are fixtures. If healthy, Diggs will lead the room.
The new Head Coach also drafted an explosive, if raw, wide receiver with top speed, Kyle Williams, in the third round. Additionally, in a scouting coup, he landed a sought-after undrafted free agent, Efton Chism III. He's a pass-catching machine, and if he's thrown the ball, he'll catch it and make things happen. Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte return. If each of the six does what he's capable of, the room will be greatly improved.
Can the remodeled defense make big plays to increase their chances of winning tougher games?
On defense, Vrabel added a player or two at each level who fit his scheme. Others who didn't fit have been shown the door. The key theme of the offseason on defense was signing playmakers at all three levels. Whether they can deliver those big plays is another major question.
Coach Vrabel added the best defensive tackle on the market in Milton Williams. He also signed free agent linebackers, tackling machine Robert Spillane and mobile Jack Gibbens, and astutely re-signed emerging star linebacker Christian Elliss (one of the few Patriots' free agents he needed to keep).
On the edge, Vrabel added two veterans, top sack-producer Harold Landry III, one of his former Tennessee players, and K'Lavon Chaisson, a young veteran with top potential. In the defensive backfield, he added a lockdown cornerback, Carlton Davis III, and drafted safety Craig Woodson in the fourth round. They should greatly improve the ineffective 2024 version that Vrabel inherited.
These are three questions that will need to be answered in the first month of the season. All will be pivotal to a winning season. Coach Vrabel invested heavily in new players who must deliver if he's to turn around a team that won a paltry four games in 2024. If all three questions are answered in the affirmative, the 2025 Patriots have a chance to make the playoffs, if they can stay healthy.