The 2026 New England Patriots will be fashioned in the ongoing offseason. Free agency is all but out of the way, and the next big event, barring a monster trade or two, will be the all-important NFL draft, which begins on April 30. Free agency has been underwhelming to this point.
Yet Forbes writer, DJ Siddiqi, pointed out that former Patriots' great Rob Gronkowski believes the Mike Vrabel-led Patriots are on their way to perennial contention.
Hopefully, Gronk is right, and Vrabel's moves this offseason will help pave the way to a second consecutive AFC East title and more. Unfortunately, in evaluating how many positions the Patriots have actually improved in free agency, the answer may not be quite so rosy.
The Patriots entered the offseason with a need to improve the tackle and guard positions on the offensive line, as well as at tight end, wide receiver, and running back. On defense, they needed to get better at the edge, inside linebacker, and had a sneaky need at defensive tackle.
Thus far, they've clearly improved only one position, safety, and that wasn't one of their most pressing needs.
Is Rob Gronkowski right in his assessment of the New England Patriots?
Rob Gronkowski is one of the three best players to ever don a Patriots uniform, along with quarterback Tom Brady and guard John Hannah. He knows football, and he knows Mike Vrabel. One major reason for his optimism about the team centers on Vrabel.
It's hard to argue with his enthusiasm for the now two-time NFL Coach of the Year. He was one of owner Robert Kraft's best moves ever.
Siddiqi quoted the former Patriots all-time great tight end Gronk on his thoughts about the current Patriots' situation.
“I loved how they built that program. You got the head coach, you got the ownership, the foundation is there. They’re just a couple guys away from being Super Bowl champions or being competitive for another Super Bowl year in and year out. Their defense is always going to be solid, especially with Coach Vrabel leading the way, he just has the ins and outs, he knows the game so well. He knows the players he needs on the defensive side of the ball."
There's no quibbling with Gronk about Mike Vrabel. He won the 2025 NFL Coach of the Year Award, and the 2025 offseason he had, putting together a Super Bowl team from the dismal 2024 roster, was also masterful. Yet, we're on to 2026, and thus far, his and his personnel team's efforts have been decidedly underwhelming.
They have only clearly improved one position, safety. Another, left guard, may be improved, but only if the injury-prone Alijah Vera-Tucker can stay on the field. He's finished three of his five NFL seasons injured. Priority No. 1 this offseason, and for that matter every offseason, is to protect Drake Maye.
Thus far in 2026, the Patriots haven't done anywhere near enough to bolster their offensive line. For a team that surrendered 47 regular-season sacks and another 21 in the postseason, including a game-crushing six in the Super Bowl, that's a major omission that could be a season-breaker.
Vrabel and his personnel team still have major holes all over the field to fill in late free agency, by trade, or in the draft. If they're to justify Rob Gronkowski's confidence in them, they'll have to do just that. If not, with their difficult 2026 schedule, the team that made the Super Bowl in 2025 may not do much of anything in 2026. They still have time. We'll see if they're up to the challenge.