At the start of his first season as the head coach of the New England Patriots, Mike Vrabel made sure to send a message that they were not going to be the team of old, literally and figuratively. Not only was he there to help the team win, which they hadn't done much of over the previous five years, but also, they weren't going to be one of the oldest rosters in the league anymore.
He accomplished that by either releasing or not re-signing some of the most tenured Patriots, no matter their role on the team or how productive they might have been. It raised concerns among fans about the inexperience of the rest of the roster, but Vrabel made sure to plug in the seasoned veterans where necessary.
One of those players was Morgan Moses, who became the starting right tackle and was one of the most consistent parts of the offensive line during the 2025 season.
Given his age, he certainly didn't fit what Vrabel was trying to build with the roster, leading to retirement talks this offseason. But Eliot Wolf clarified that there have been no talks about Moses leaving the team for any reason, and he is expected to play in 2026 in Foxboro.
“Yes, that’s our expectation. I know Coach Vrabel’s in contact with him. No indication that he’s looking to move on, and I think he’s excited about coming back up here and getting started.”
Morgan Moses' return to the Patriots is one of the most important things for the 2026 season
Because the offensive line has been one of the biggest weaknesses of the Patriots roster in recent years, it's crucial that they are able to maintain some sort of consistency across the board if they want to see Maye grow as their franchise quarterback and their running back duo thrive out of the backfield.
It's clear they were prioritizing that during free agency this past month by signing Alijah Vera-Tucker to take over at left guard, moving Jared Wilson to center, which was the position he played in college, and also bringing in one of the best fullbacks in the league, Reggie Gilliam.
On top of that, they signed Julian Hill, a tight end known for his blocking rather than his pass-catching, further bolstering the offensive line after the group fell apart in the Super Bowl earlier this year.
Moses immediately becomes the glue of the group, along with Mike Onwenu, to mentor the rest of the starters, while also remaining an invaluable voice in the locker room. We saw just how impactful he was in his first season, and that will inevitably be just as important as the Patriots try to replicate the kind of success they achieved last year.
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