The NFL's first game is upon us, and for the New England Patriots, it's the beginning of a new era. Mike Vrabel is the man in command, and he's put his imprint on everything related to the franchise since he took the Head Coaching position in January.
Vrabel set about to rebuild a broken roster and reset the culture, and he's made considerable strides to do both. Multiple additions on both offense, defense, and special teams have been made as the old gave way to the new in a major restructuring of the NFL's worst roster. To put a punctuation mark on all this, all six of the Patriots' 2024 captains are no longer in those positions.
Soon, we'll see just how effective Vrabel has been in transforming a lackluster roster and turning it into a competitive one. Massive changes have been made as more than 20 new players now man the 53-man roster. Vrabel's offseason roster moves have garnered praise from many vantage points, but nothing matters until they prove it on the field when they start playing for real. And one area that will be under the microscope is his rebuilt offensive line.
The Patriots' offensive line is the key to the team's performance
Vrabel has four new starters on the 2024 offensive line. To make matters even more challenging, two of them are rookies who've never played a minute of NFL football for real. Want even more challenges?
The two rookie starters both play on the left side of the line. They are left tackle Will Campbell and left guard Jared Wilson. Campbell was a guaranteed starter.
Leading up to the game, Mike Vrabel confirmed that Wilson will start at left guard against the Raiders.
Mike Vrabel says Jared Wilson will start on Sunday at left guard. The Patriots will have two rookies on that left side.
— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) September 5, 2025
This is no surprise; it confirms what's been the likely scenario for months. Wilson was always the best option for the Patriots, and he'll get the nod at left guard against Las Vegas. Mike Vrabel will go with the players who perform best, and while the competition wasn't of the highest quality, Wilson still stood out.
This bears even more watching since it's now been reported that rookie starting left tackle Will Campbell has an ankle issue. If Wilson didn't need any more pressure before his first NFL game, he's now got it anyway with Campbell's injury.
Campbell and Wilson are being counted upon to be difference-makers
Neither Campbell nor Wilson is a stranger to pressure-packed situations. Each played for a top SEC team, Campbell for LSU and Wilson for Georgia. While the NFL at its lowest level is two steps up the ladder from the SEC, those two rookies have been schooled in the best college atmosphere there is. Playing before 68,000 at Gillette is fewer fans than they often played before in college.
Regardless, the NFL is the NFL, the best in the business, and few rookies will enter that atmosphere without some jitters, and neither will Campbell and Wilson, high draft picks though they were. Yet, once the whistle blows, expect both to rise to the occasion.
Both were the top-rated players at their positions in the draft. Campbell was the best tackle in the draft, and Wilson was the best center. While Wilson will play guard, his early years were spent at that position. He's no stranger to playing guard.
Yet, Campbell's injury situation puts even more pressure on Wilson to be at his best and help out when he can. It's also up to the offensive coaching staff to scheme to give both some help. We'll see if Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels can put together a game plan to assist the two rookies while maximizing his offense's productivity.
One way to do that is to stress the run. The Patriots will be able to run the ball, and it will assist quarterback Drake Maye to use the run to set up the pass rather than vice versa. Using Maye's dual-threat capability will also be helpful. The game against the Raiders will be decided to a large extent by coaching. If Vrabel and McDaniels can get the offense untracked, they'll win. If not, they'll be 0-1.