Mike Vrabel said the quiet part out loud last weekend.
“I do not think we have a very deep team,” he said.
Vrabel made the comment while explaining why the Patriots’ starters hadn’t played in the preseason. As it turned out, that approach never changed. None of New England’s offensive or defensive starters registered a single snap across the team’s three preseason games, as the Patriots prioritized keeping their frontline players healthy.
When asked about Vrabel’s comments earlier this week, Executive Vice President of Player Personnel and de facto general manager Eliot Wolf didn’t dispute them.
“Every season is different. We’ve had some injuries here over the course of the last couple of weeks that obviously thinned things out,” Wolf said. “We were pretty lucky — knock on wood — last year with some of the injury things that we had. Every year is different, every position is different. We’re deeper at some positions than we were last year; we’re shallower at others. This time of year is a great opportunity for the scouts and for us to work the phones, talking about different trades.”
Through joint practices with the Eagles and Colts and three preseason games, the lack of depth was apparent. But as Wolf alluded to, it’s not necessarily too late for the Patriots to address those needs.
Teams must reduce their active rosters to a maximum of 53 players by 6 p.m. ET this Sunday, Aug. 30, meaning roughly 1,184 players will become available via waivers. The Patriots could also add help via trade, with the trade deadline not until Nov. 10.
So, what areas should the Patriots look to improve?
1. Edge Rusher
Edge rusher is far and away New England’s biggest area of need entering the 2026 season.
Veteran Harold Landry, who led the team in sacks (8.5), tackles for loss (10) and quarterback hits (19), did not participate at all in training camp as he has yet to be activated off the PUP list following offseason knee surgery for an injury that bothered him last season.
Week 1 seems like a long shot for Landry, so the Patriots will likely enter the season with Dre’Mont Jones and Elijah Ponder as their starters.
Jones, signed to a three-year, $39.5 million contract this offseason, is on his fourth team in the last two years and didn’t quite stand out in training camp. He did have a career-high 8.0 sacks in 18 games last season with the Titans and Ravens, though. That would’ve ranked second on the Patriots last year, behind only Landry.
Ponder was undrafted last season. He played 15 games, but only 215 snaps, or 24% of the total, registering 4.0 sacks, 24 tackles (four for a loss) and five quarterback hits.
Behind them is second-round pick Gabe Jacas, who very much remains a work in progress, along with Bradyn Swinson, Jesse Luketa, Quintayvious Hutchins, Amari Gainer and Xavier Holmes.
Adding Landry will help stabilize that group, but it’s unclear when he will return, or what version of Landry the Patriots will get when the 30-year-old comes back.
This should be the Patriots’ top priority.
2. Linebacker
Right behind the edge rushers on the list of priorities would be the linebackers.
Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss will be the starters, but beyond them is a massive question mark after Jack Gibbens signed with the Arizona Cardinals and Jahlani Tavai and Marte Mapu were released.
Chad Muma had a strong start to the summer but fell off quickly, with K.J. Britt, who signed a one-year, $1.2 million deal in free agency after spending last season with the Miami Dolphins primarily as a special teamer, leaping over him.
The other linebackers include two rookies, sixth-round pick Namdi Obiazor and undrafted rookie Khalil Jacobs.
Linebacker is another glaring area of need.
3. Offensive Line
The Patriots’ starting line will be LT Will Campbell, LG Alijah Vera-Tucker, C Jared Wilson, RG Mike Onwenu and RT Morgan Moses.
That’s a group the Patriots can feel good about. It’s what’s behind them where things get murky.
Ben Brown, the team’s top depth option at both center and guard, played 17 games last season, recording 331 snaps, which was actually more than DeMario Douglas (288). He suffered an injury in the preseason opener that will keep him sidelined for a few weeks. Marcus Bryant, who was competing with first-round rookie Caleb Lomu and may have outperformed him in their ongoing battle for the swing tackle job, is also injured.
Like fellow rookie Jacas, Lomu is still a work in progress and probably isn’t ready for NFL action, which isn’t great considering he is the top backup behind Moses, who is 35 years old, and Campbell, who missed four games last year with a torn MCL.
The Patriots addressed the interior line by signing veteran Greg Van Roten, who is entering his 12th NFL season. He started all 17 games at right guard for the New York Giants last season. Over his career, spending time with the Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Las Vegas Raiders and Giants, he has played in 144 regular-season games with 105 starts — 75 at right guard, 27 at left guard and three at center.
The Patriots could use more depth and experience behind Lomu, Van Roten and rookie sixth-round pick Dametrious Crownover.
4. Tight end
The Patriots should feel really good about Hunter Henry. Over his five seasons in New England, he’s caught 259 passes for 2,973 yards and 26 touchdowns. His 26 touchdowns rank fourth in the NFL over that span, trailing only George Kittle (38), Mark Andrews (37) and Travis Kelce (35). He has recorded at least 40 catches in each of his five seasons with the Patriots, the second-longest streak by a Patriots tight end behind only Ben Coates. Last year, he set a career high with 768 receiving yards and reached 60 receptions for the second consecutive season.
Pretty good.
Behind him, though? Not so good.
Julian Hill, whom the Patriots signed to a three-year deal over the offseason and expected to be the No. 2 tight end, suffered a season-ending knee injury.
That leaves third-round pick Eli Raridon, who has shown flashes throughout camp, and three undrafted players: Jack Westover, CJ Dippre and Tanner Arkin. Of those three, Arkin was the best throughout camp, but cooled off after a hot start.
This author thinks the Patriots will opt to keep Arkin behind Henry and Raridon because of his ability as a blocker, but he could certainly be upgraded. And while Raridon has made plays throughout camp, there are still plenty of unknowns surrounding the 22-year-old.
5. Cornerback
When healthy, the duo of Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis is one of the best outside cornerback pairings in the league. Marcus Jones is also a very good slot corner.
However, as we saw in Thursday night’s preseason finale, it’s slim pickings behind them.
In the first half of Thursday’s game, the Browns scored on all five of their first drives (three touchdowns), putting up 27 points. Dillon Gabriel completed 12 of his 15 attempts for 186 yards and three touchdowns. Charles Woods and Kindle Vildor, who project as the top backups, were picked apart. Fifth-round rookie Karon Prunty, who has had his moments in camp, also struggled.
There is no clear No. 3 cornerback on the roster right now, which is far from ideal.
6. Running back
Who the Patriots’ third running back will be remains unclear.
Rhamondre Stevenson, the first player in franchise history to record 700+ scrimmage yards in each of his first five seasons, has been the clear RB1, and he should be. He was one of their best offensive players after returning from injury last season.
TreVeyon Henderson, who had the highest rushing average by a rookie in team history (5.1) and became only the fourth rookie in team history to score 10 touchdowns, makes a strong one-two punch.
There is a significant drop-off after them.
Lan Larison, Hassan Haskins, Jam Miller and JaMycal Hasty are the other running backs on the roster, so one of them will likely make the team, but none have particularly stood out consistently. This author projects Larison will be the guy they keep, although he is more of a third-down, pass-catching back. The Patriots would be wise to see if anyone comes through waivers.
It has a much different feel than last year, when Antonio Gibson entered the season as RB3.
