Takeaways from the Patriots’ first open OTA practice

Fifteen short weeks since their loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 60, the Patriots are back on the practice field for OTAs, which began on Tuesday.

Media members were present for Wednesday’s nearly 90-minute session on the practice fields at Gillette Stadium. Mike Vrabel, Drake Maye, Milton Williams, and Andy Borregales met with the media.

Here are the takeaways.

Attendance check

By all accounts, attendance throughout the voluntary portion of the Patriots’ offseason program has been strong. Still, because the workouts are voluntary, full participation is rarely expected, and the Patriots were without a handful of players during Wednesday’s session.

That group included CB Carlton Davis, WR Kayshon Boutte, WR Mack Hollins, CB Christian Gonzalez, EDGE Gabe Jacas, and EDGE Harold Landry.

“We would love to have everybody here, but that’s not the reality. That’s not the reality in the NFL. There won’t be 100% participation or attendance at practice,” Mike Vrabel said. “And let me just say this, the guys that aren’t here or guys that aren’t at practice, everybody’s got a different practice plan. We’ve talked about that. But the communication has been great for whatever reason that guys aren’t at practice.”

Gonzalez’s absence is particularly notable given the ongoing contract extension discussions between the Patriots and the star cornerback.

“Those are personal choices for players. I would say that I value the communication that I’ve had personally. I know that our defensive coaches have had conversations with Christian. Again, I wish that they were all here so that we can coach them,” Vrabel said when asked about Gonzalez’s absence. “But the ones that are here, that’s where our focus will be, and we’ll pour everything that we have into those players. I know that his professionalism and being ready to go, or whatever personal choice some guys have during the spring, I’m confident that they’ll all be ready.”

Boutte’s absence also stands out as his name has surfaced in trade rumors throughout the offseason. At the same time, signs continue to point toward the Patriots acquiring WR A.J. Brown in a post-June 1 trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, further clouding the fourth-year receiver’s future in New England.

“I have a great amount of respect for Kayshon, and watching him mature and grow through the entire time that we spent together, that’s a credit to Kayshon, that’s a credit to Todd Downing,” Vrabel said. “And just the communication is, “Hey, how are you doing? One, you’re working hard?” And he said, “Yeah, I like where I’m working out at.” “Okay. We’ll be here ready to coach you when you’re here.” That’s been very positive, and I would imagine that he would pick up where he left off and grow on the season that he had last year.”

Vrabel is finding a healthy balance

Wednesday marked the first time since Day 1 of the NFL Draft that Mike Vrabel spoke with the media. At the time, Vrabel emphasized the importance of prioritizing family, revealing he would miss Day 3 of the draft to be with them and attend counseling sessions.

Vrabel said he has no regrets about stepping away and described the balance between family and football as “really good.”

“Really good. I appreciate that my family is great,” he said. “I love Jen [Vrabel], I love the boys, I love my personal friends.”

Vrabel was also asked whether he could potentially step away from the team again in the future.

“I can only tell you I’m going to be there today. I can’t tell you anything other than I’m going to be out there today in full force. And I mean that because who knows what’s going to come up? Anything could happen,” he said. “So, I’m going to focus on today and the excitement that we’ve had and that we’ve built so far, the conditioning that we’ve tried to incorporate into our practices, the weightlifting, and all the things that are critical.”

During the practice session, Vrabel was vocal and active with his players, providing the same hands-on coaching presence we saw last season in New England.

“Same guy. Talking s***,” Milton Williams said. “Getting guys ready to roll. He ain’t changed a bit.”

A.J. Brown watch

A trade involving A.J. Brown could come together as soon as next week, with June 1 representing a key financial checkpoint for the Eagles. If Philadelphia trades Brown before June 1, they would absorb a $20 million cap hit. A post-June 1 trade, however, would save Philadelphia roughly $7 million.

“We always – and when I say we, that includes Eliot [Wolf], Ryan [Cowden], and Stretch [John Streicher], the coaching staff. We want to continue to improve the roster every opportunity that we get,” Vrabel said. “And when those opportunities arise – I don’t know, I know that the guys that we have here are working extremely hard.”

Brown has topped 1,000 receiving yards in six of his seven NFL seasons between Tennessee and Philadelphia and ranks fourth in the league in receiving yards since entering the NFL in 2019. His former teammate in Philadelphia, Milton Williams, with whom Brown won one Super Bowl and played in another, explained what the three-time Pro Bowler could bring to the Patriots.

“Great, dude,” said Williams. “Monster on the field. Great in the locker room. Holding guys accountable and holding himself accountable. I feel like that’s everything you want in a player of his caliber.”

Williams added, “(He’s a) hell of a player. He can definitely help our team. But they don’t pay me to do that.”

Quarterback Drake Maye, who completed a league-best 72.0 percent of his passes last season for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns against just eight interceptions while leading the NFL in passer rating (113.5) and QBR (77.1), also weighed in on the possibility of adding another dynamic weapon to the offense.

“It’s part of the NFL. They throw names around every team, depending on whoever looks best in the graphic in the jersey on social media,” he said. “We’ve got some new guys in here that we’re working with. I know there’s a lot of talk with that, but if he ends up being on our team, great. What a great player. And if he doesn’t, we’ve still got to work these guys here. So it’s a balance, but I know he’s a phenomenal player.”

Early look at the offensive line

It’s hard to take much from these sessions. Although team drills are allowed, spring OTA practices do not include pads or live contact and are generally viewed as passing camps with limited physicality and a slower overall pace.

“It’s just about teaching. It’s about teaching these guys the scheme,” Vrabel explained prior to the session. “We talked about having some enhancements offensively, defensively, and special teams, stuff that we did well, but that we’ll have to either dress up or modify slightly. That’s what the springtime is about. That’s really all we know, is being able to coach these guys and to teach them, help them do their job. This is the time in the spring where they can focus on not only conditioning, but all the details that are going to help them.”

Still, it did provide the first look at the offensive line.

During group and walk-through periods, the line was Will Campbell, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Jared Wilson, Mike Onwenu, and Morgan Moses, left to right. However, Vera-Tucker was replaced by Andrew Rupcich during team drills, while Moses and rookie first-round pick Caleb Lomu split time at right tackle.

Vera-Tucker, who missed the entire 2025 season with the Jets after tearing his triceps during practice in early September, did some individual work off to the side during team periods.

Vrabel said he expects Lomu, who played left tackle at rookie minicamp, to be able to play both sides.

“He’s young, he’s big, he’s athletic, and he’s willing to learn. He’s excited about learning. So, where he plays, we want to end up with the five best linemen. I think he’s going to have the ability to play both sides. I can report that he’ll be on the right today. He might get some snaps on the left. But you guys know how this goes. We played 10 linemen last year,” he said. “We’re going to have to have five good ones that can protect Drake [Maye], as well as a swing tackle. We’re going to have to have somebody that goes inside, and then we’re going to have to have somebody that pulls it as the backup center. That’s a long-winded answer about where Caleb’s at, but I’m excited about where he’s at. Where he’s going to eventually be, I don’t think I can answer that right now.”