When Mike Vrabel decided to accept the head coaching gig with the New England Patriots this offseason, it was clear he was walking into a challenging job that would require multiple years of rebuilding to properly upgrade the roster and make the team competitive again. Fortunately for him, he walked into an offseason equipped with the league-high cap space and desirable draft positioning, allowing him to add some top-name talent to the roster right away.
They continued to do that throughout the summer and it was evident that the improvements they made should pay off this upcoming season. Yet, at the same time, despite their efforts, there is an apparent lack of depth across the board, which could become an issue down the road.
It's certainly a concern going into their Week 1 matchup against the Raiders, especially since it's looking more and more like cornerback Christian Gonzalez will be forced to sit out of the game.
On top of that, the latest batch of players the team had in for tryouts proves it's not only analysts and fans that are aware of the depth issue, which could be viewed as a positive because they're actively trying to add more talent to the practice squad.
Alternatively, it could be perceived negatively, as it might suggest that they didn't do enough work to add the necessary players to the roster before the season began.
The Patriots prove they are well aware that there is a lack of universal depth within their 2025 roster
On Tuesday, it was reported that seven players were brought to Foxboro for tryouts, with the list consisting of only wide receivers and defensive backs, further proving just how vulnerable those positions might be this fall.
Patriots had the following free agents in for tryouts as they keep emergency lists updated:
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) September 2, 2025
WR Andrew Armstrong (Arkansas)
DB Trey Dean (Florida)
DB Malik Dixon-Williams (UConn)
DB Tyron Herring (Delaware)
WR Jakobie Keeney-James (UMass)
DB Doneiko Slaughter (Arkansas)
DB Major…
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Although the receiving corps was significantly upgraded over the past several months, there are still questions about whether enough work was done to drastically improve their production in Drake Maye's second season, even with the addition of veteran Stefon Diggs.
The same can be said about the secondary, beyond signing CB Carlton Davis. The release of Jabrill Peppers could negatively impact the safety group, and Gonzalez's injury certainly makes the cornerbacks far more vulnerable than they otherwise would be.
There are some quality players on the roster expected to pick things up in his absence, as well as the safety group. However, most are unproven and/or new to the roster this year, so it is unclear how reliable they will be. The fact that those positions were the only ones that made up the group of tryouts shows just how concerning that group feels going into this matchup on Sunday.