The New England Patriots’ preseason is complete as they now must trim their roster to 53 players by Sunday 6 p.m. ET. The work has already begun for the Patriots, who will then work on filling out their practice squad before turning their attention fully to Seattle.
Before the roster movement and Week 1 prep begins, however, let’s take one final look back at the week that was. Welcome to the latest installment of our Sunday Patriots Notes.
The buzzword around 1 Patriots Place continues to be depth.
That stems from head coach Mike Vrabel’s comments after the Patriots’ second preseason game.
“I do not think we have a very deep team,” Vrabel said.
As the Patriots concluded their preseason Thursday night in Cleveland, the lack of depth — specifically on defense — was on display again. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel and the Browns’ backups marched up and down the field against New England’s reserves in a 37-13 win, leaving Vrabel looking for more.
“Not good enough,” the coach said. “We got a couple sudden change stops, forced them to kick some field goals which I think is always positive. But not good enough. We couldn’t match the speed of the quarterback in the zone read and some of those things. But we’ll get back to work and figure out who we get back to work with.”
The Patriots will now sort through the players on the roster bubble as they cut the group down from 91 to 53 players by Sunday evening. They will also be on the hunt for upgrades on the waiver wire to improve their depth.
As for the top spots they might look to upgrade, here’s where we’ll be watching:
Defensive line: Entering the summer as one of the deeper groups on the roster, the Patriots’ reserve defensive lineman struggled against the run throughout the summer. New England could be on the hunt for more size at nose tackle behind Cory Durden.
Edge: Mike Vrabel left the door open for Harold Landry to be activated off the PUP list before Week 1. What the veteran has left in the tank is TBD. Gabe Jacas, meanwhile, is not ready for a significant role out of the gate, while no other depth option has pushed for a consistent role. Even with free-agent addition Dre’Mont Jones and improvement from Elijah Ponder in Year 2, the edge group remains the weakest overall on the roster.
Linebacker: The Patriots do have a strong duo in Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss atop the depth chart, but the depth behind them remains a concern. Rookie Khalil Jacobs was trending upward before suffering an injury, while fellow rookie Namdi Obiazor is likely on the team primarily for his special teams value. Veteran Chad Muma then had significant issues in preseason action while K.J. Britt was inconsistent as well.
Cornerback: The Browns picked on Patriots corners Kindle Vildor, Charles Woods, Karon Prunty and Marcellas Dial Jr. Thursday night. The depth behind Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis and Marcus Jones remains worrisome, particularly given the injury history surrounding the top of the group.
Speaking of the waiver wire, it’s a tool the Patriots used last year claiming both quarterback Tommy DeVito and cornerback Charles Woods, and one Vrabel said they will continue to use moving forward.
However, the Patriots will be 31st in the waiver order this go around after holding the 4th spot last year.
“When you’re at the back end of the waiver claim, that’s a great thing,” vice president of player personnel Ryan Cowden said. “But it’s also, you know, some good players that become available are going to be gone before you get that opportunity.”
With the emphasis on health, Mike Vrabel decided not to play the Patriots starters at all throughout the preseason.
“I just think that it’s best for us right now to try to start next week with the guys that we have. I know that’s a difficult decision. I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer,” Vrabel said. “We have to just continue to try to prepare the football team the best that we can. We just wanted to try to get to the regular season with the guys that we had.”
That will mean Drake Maye and Co.’s first live snaps of the season will come Sept. 9 against the Seahawks in the opener. Seattle’s starters will also take their first live snaps of the year in that matchup, as head coach Mike Macdonald followed a similar preseason approach to Vrabel.
For the first time this offseason, Christian Gonzalez admitted he’s frustrated that he remains without a contract extension with the Patriots. Asked about his cornerback Thursday night, Vrabel preached patience.
“I don’t have a reaction,” Vrabel said. “I have conversations with Christian, and I understand that this is probably something that’s difficult. I’ve never been in that position to this extent. I try to treat it with class, but also, him and I communicate. He’s always free – our players are always free to feel how they want to feel, and you just have to stay patient, and hope that we can continue to work to some sort of degree.”
Earlier on Thursday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the two sides haven’t “been close” on a contract extension. Gonzalez’s team and the Patriots will work to come to an agreement again this week, but Schefter speculated if no deal is reached before Week 1, the sides may wait until next offseason or then potentially listen to trade offers.
Vice president of player personnel was asked if trading Gonzalez is a possibility.
“I think we’re continuing to work on the negotiation side of Christian and, you know, I think that’s where that stays,” he said on Tuesday.
Before signing with the Patriots, veteran offensive lineman Greg Van Roten visited the team. For veterans, those visits are often an opportunity to get a feel for the team’s environment and determine whether it’s a good fit.
It turns out, Van Roten was already impressed by the Patriots from a Week 12 game last season when he was a member of the New York Giants.
“I actually told this to Coach Vrabes. When we were getting ready to play [Dec. 1 last season], we were pretty fired up to come here, Monday night, play the Patriots, and everyone was chirping about their schedule and this and that,” Van Roten shared. “There have been a few games in my [12-year] NFL career where you play against a defense and it feels a little bit different. And that was one of those games.
“They were flying around. Hitting hard. It was a very physical game very early on. I’ve been a part of a lot of NFL games but that one stood out. So that was another reason why I wanted to come here because they seem to have guys playing football the right way.”
It’s been an up-and-down summer for rookie Gabe Jacas, which included another poor edge set on a read-option play in the preseason finale.
After missing all of the spring and start of training camp, Jacas looks like he’s drinking through a firehose on the field. Still, the coaching staff has high hopes for the rookie’s long-term future.
“I’m not a gambler, but I kind of look at maybe anything in life as gambling. You got a kid that’s big like him, that’s athletic like him, that’s meaner than a wet mule, and he loves football. I’m not gonna say he’s gonna be Jason Taylor or LT or any of that stuff, but it’s gonna be very hard for him to fail,” outside linebackers coach Mike Smith said.
DeMario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte were both drafted by the Patriots in the sixth-round of the 2023 NFL Draft. That’s why Monday’s trade, which sent Boutte to the Houston Texans, was extra hard on Douglas
“It was tough. That’s my guy,” Douglas said following Tuesday’s practice. “That’s who I came in [the league] with. That’s my brother, my forever brother.”
While Douglas was more of a contributor from the jump, he had a front row seat to Boutte’s development over the past few years.
“It was good, just to see his progress. That was amazing,” Douglas said. “That’s a real life story of trusting the process. Just watching his story is amazing.”
After landing in Cleveland on Wednesday, the Patriots took a trip to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Players left with plenty of new photos in their camera rolls and Adam Vinatieri merchandise after hearing from Patriots Hall of Famer Andre Tippett.
”I think for a lot of guys, especially me, I haven’t been back to the Hall of Fame since 1998. I played one game with the Steelers, and this was as close as we were going to get,” Vrabel said. :The players really appreciated seeing the stuff that they had to offer. We appreciated the Hall of Fame for allowing us to come and treating us so well.
“Having Tip be there and be able to speak about the fraternity and his career, and everything that he did. He’s a great Patriot, and we were glad to be able to honor him in front of our football team, but also have him show us around and be proud of the Hall of Fame.”
As they will continue to tweak their 53-man roster and practice squad over the next week, the Patriots will also fully begin their preparation for Seattle. With over a week-and-a-half to do so, they will hit the practice fields twice during the week before their usual schedule begins Saturday.
The schedule for the coming week looks like this:
- Monday, August 31: No practice
- Tuesday, September 1: Mike Vrabel availability, Open locker room, Practice (2:10 p.m. ET)
- Wednesday, September 2: No practice
- Thursday, September 3: Mike Vrabel availability, Open locker room, Practice (2:10 p.m. ET)
- Friday, September 4: No practice
- Saturday, September 5: Mike Vrabel availability, Open locker room, Practice (2:10 p.m. ET)
- Sunday, September 6: Open locker room, Practice (2:10 p.m. ET)
