Patriots might already regret not reuniting Mike Vrabel with superstar defender

The Patriots were connected to several top free agents at positions they needed to seriously upgrade after how the roster looked against the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX.

One of their main weaknesses was the pass rush, and their leading sack artist spent the entire summer away from the team due to an injury. They chose to move on from K'Lavon Chaisson, who recorded the second-most sacks in 2025, and only brought in free agent Dre'Mont Jones to help fill the void.

They also used a second-round pick on Gabe Jacas, who was highly touted coming out of the draft but spent much of the offseason away from the team and the facility, starting training camp two days late, which immediately put him behind.

So, up until most of the best available pass rushers were signed ahead of Week 1, the Patriots were linked to them all, with a particular interest from fans in Jadeveon Clowney. Many hoped Mike Vrabel would reunite with the Texans' No. overall pick from the 2014 draft, since he hasn't shown any real signs of regression, but their lack of urgency meant he inevitably signed with his original team instead.

Based on how he played in Week 1, it looks like the Patriots made a big mistake not pursuing him when they had the chance.

Jadeveon Clowney is still performing at a high level at the start of his 13th season

Given how long it took the Texans to decide to bring Clowney back for the 2026 season, the assumption was that most teams passed on him because of his age and the likelihood of performance regression.

That could be why the Patriots looked the other way, and now they're looking foolish based on his performance against a high-powered Bills offense on Sunday, where he got the first sack of the game on Josh Allen for a loss of six yards.

For the rest of the game, the Bills' quarterback felt Clowney's presence, hitting him a second time and bringing consistent pressure, further proving the Patriots should have taken the chance to sign him to a one-year deal, just as the Texans did.

Although there was a lot of good to take away from what Dre'Mont Jones and Gabe Jacas showed against the Seahawks last Wednesday, it wasn't at the level that the Patriots needed. Maybe it's because it was just Week 1, so they need time to acclimate and really make an impact, but it's certainly making passing on a player like Clowney look worse.

That feeling will deepen if he continues to play at a high level for an already very good Houston defensive front.

If Jones and Jacas continue to look better every week, it won't feel as bad, though. And if Harold Landry returns sooner rather than later and picks up the kind of production he started the 2025 season with, then the Patriots are in much better hands than expected.

Regardless, they could have easily put their group over the top by bringing in a proven playmaker in Clowney, but instead, they have to watch him thrive with a team they had a difficult time beating in the playoffs last year.

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