Now that the Patriots appear to be back on the right track toward becoming a competitive team again, thanks in large part to the arrival of Mike Vrabel, former players are having more positive things to say about the team than in recent years.
In fact, the 2025 season appears to have restored hope for more than just fans, as Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski have shared their thoughts on the franchise's future.
That does have the team under a microscope a bit more across the league, too, and now their moves are becoming more relevant as they hope to replicate the unexpected success they achieved last season. And because of that, guys like Edelman and Gronk are sharing their takes on what Vrabel still needs to do before the 2026 season.
The retired tight end had more pointed advice for his longtime team, and the Patriots should definitely listen to what he has to say.
Rob Gronkowski points out the fixes the Patriots still need to make to their 2026 roster
While speaking to Forbes this past week, Gronkowski credited New England for what they did last season but expressed some concern about their lack of free-agent moves over the past month.
He applauded the move to sign receiver Romeo Doubs, but he echoed much of what Patriots fans have been saying and suggested they bring in more offensive linemen to boost Drake Maye's chances of having another MVP season.
“Definitely go out and get another offensive lineman or two just to protect Drake Maye, because that’s where it all starts. If you got a dominant offensive line that can run block and also pass block, then you know you’re going to move that ball down the field and you’re going to have Drake Maye, your star quarterback, comfortable in the pocket at all times. That’s what you want as a football team, absolutely.”
Considering what we saw from the offensive line in Super Bowl LX, Gronkowski is certainly not wrong, and the Patriots have already made some moves to improve the group for the upcoming season.
They have already announced that Jared Wilson, who was the starter at left guard in 2025, will move to center, which is the position he played in college. They signed Alijah Vera-Tucker to take over in his absence, and if he can remain healthy, he is a Pro Bowl-level guard who will immediately elevate the offense.
Beyond them, the rest of the starters are expected to remain the same, but there is a high chance we will see more linemen drafted later this month, specifically a right tackle who can develop into Morgan Moses' successor.
The veteran is entering the final year of guaranteed money on his contract, and at 35, it is expected he will likely retire next year or the Patriots will decide to move on. So they are presumably working on his succession plan while also adding more depth in case of emergencies.
That seems to align exactly with what Gronkowski and most Patriots fans are hoping for this offseason, and now we'll just have to sit and wait to see how they continue to upgrade the roster through the draft and training camp.