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The question to Eliot Wolf was simple (hat tip to the boss man. Squirrel finds a nut. I kid. I kid): Do you think that you guys have improved this team from the one that walked off the field at the Super Bowl to this point in the offseason?
“Yeah, I think so. With some of the free agent moves that we've done – primarily because we haven't done a lot of other things, Wolf said. “But yeah, I think so, and then we'll continue to supplement it. We've definitely increased our flexibility in terms of what exactly the needs – again, the needs on paper are just for this year, but yeah, I think we've improved.”
Obviously, the draft will play an instrumental role in how we feel about the team that takes the field this spring, summer, and into the fall, but is Wolf right? Are the Patriots improved? Yes…and no (the world isn’t always black and white, people. It’s mostly grey).
I lean ‘yes’ because it’s year two of this system, with largely the same coaching staff, and largely the same core (with a few exceptions that I’ll get to). Vrabel knows what buttons to push, and who he can push them on. The group has a good sense of what players can and cannot do. Not that Josh McDaniels still isn’t going to be learning Drake Maye, and vice-versa, but they’ve now been through a full season and played in January and February, where the stakes don’t get any higher. That’s incredibly valuable.
You can also rightfully expect growth from the young players. Hell, they’re counting on it, and so am I. Maye, Will Campbell, TreVeyon Henderson, Jared Wilson, Craig Woodson, and Kyle Williams - to name a handful - will be asked to do more, or at the very least, be steadier (Campbell and Henderson, I’m looking at you). The talent is there.
Speaking of talent, there aren’t too many interior offensive linemen who, when they’re on their game, are as good as Alijah Vera-Tucker. On the other side of the ball, safety Kevin Byard adds yet another layer of professionalism and playmaking to the defense. That all sounds great, doesn’t it? Of course it does.
But it’s not hard to find reasons to say ‘no’ either. I’ll start with expectations. The Pats are no longer an unknown entity. They were in the freakin’ Super Bowl a few months ago. Wanna show you’re team is for real? Beat Maye, Vrabel, and the Pats. No one was saying that until mid-December last year, and even that might be a reach. Now? You’re the big dog. Let’s see if they can handle it.
Vrabel has also found himself in the headlines. As of the writing of this piece, he has not issued any further comments beyond his initial statement to the New York Post regarding photos of him and Dianna Russini (who has since resigned). In that response, Vrabel said, "These photos show a completely innocent interaction, and any suggestion otherwise is laughable. This doesn't deserve any further response." Regardless, Vrabel will need to address this with his team - these guys live online - especially as someone who asks his players to minimize distractions and make good decisions. We have no idea what decisions were made, but the lack of refutation of the speculation has only fanned the flames.
In a story published by ESPN on Friday, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league is not reviewing Vrabel's behavior under the league's personal conduct policy, which states that players, coaches, and executives are required to avoid "conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in the National Football League." That's not surprising, but worth noting.
Beyond the psychological, it’s the physical. Vera-Tucker has played in just 43 of 85 games in his career. He’s not making chump change. If he breaks down, that isn’t good news. Byard might fall in the same category, but not because of a lengthy injury history. It’s more that he’s 33 years old, and he’ll need to use his brains to make up for the half-step he lost.
Not having Stefon Diggs, who was clearly your number one receiver, even if he’s no longer a ‘true’ #1, is a void. It could be filled by the next nugget in this Notebook, or perhaps Romeo Doubs is ready to take that next step. But for now, it’s an unknown.
There’s also Christian Gonzalez’s contract looming (Kayshon Boutte too, for a lesser amount); Morgan Moses, who remarkably didn’t miss a game, is 35 years old; ditto for Carlton Davis (not age, but availability); Mike Onwenu’s weight; Christian Barmore’s head; Harold Landry’s knee; what if Campbell’s postseason performance is a harbinger of things to come? Maybe Wilson’s overwhelmed by the mental games at center (Bradbury was good at that).
The point is, just about everything the Patriots did last season worked, from free agency to the draft to player development to game strategy. That team became complete, but it didn’t happen overnight. This build will be no different, and how they fare in the draft, and how quickly they can integrate those players into the system - along with (most importantly) answering all the questions I posed - will eventually determine if the Pats are better or worse than they were walking off that field in Santa Clara with heads bowed.
OH, HOWIE
The Philadelphia Eagles have continued to grease the skids for an AJ Brown trade, despite insisting otherwise. They dealt for Green Bay’s Dontayvion Wicks last week, and gave him a one-year extension in case he blows up this coming season. That acquisition goes along with signing a pair of free agents at the positon, Hollywood Brown and Eli Moore. For a team that has not leaned on 3-receiver sets, they now have five playable players, including co-number one, Devonta Smith.
And yet, when he met with the media on Tuesday, Eagles GM Howie Roseman stuck to the same party line about Brown’s future that he has had the entirety of this offseason, aka, nothing to see here.
"What do you think the odds are that I'm answering this question any different than I've answered anywhere else? Like, really, do you think that's 50%? Do you think that's 75%? A.J. Brown’s an Eagle."
For now, Howie. For now.
We know the Eagles have had serious conversations with both the Rams and Patriots about trading Brown. We also know that, based on the 28-year-old’s (soon to be 29) contract, Philly’s cap situation - which is going to get a little wonky in the next couple of seasons - would be well-served by moving on from Brown post-June 1. There’s also the possibility that a team like the Chargers, which is on Brown’s short list of desired destinations, could jump into the equation if the draft falls a certain way. Yes, that doesn’t guarantee the veteran pass catcher gets moved, but c’mon, let’s not pretend he’s a lock to remain an Eagle. In fact, that's the least likley scenario of them all.
MAKE IT MAKE SENSE
The AFC East has been a dumpster fire this offseason. The Patriots' head coach has found himself on page 6, the Bills fired their head coach despite it arguably being his best season coaching, and the Jets waited weeks before dismissing a number of their assistants, including the offensive coordinator. Then there’s the Dolphins.
They spent pretty good money on free agent QB Malik Willis, but literally emptied the cupboard around him, cutting Tyreek Hill and trading Jaylen Waddle (among other moves). You’d think the Fins would take the final step and trade running back De’Von Achane because, well, what’s the point?
Instead, Miami has hung on to Achane and doesn’t seem to be moving off that stance, even as he stays away from OTAs as he awaits a new contract. The Miami Herald reports that Achane wants to trump James Cook’s $48 million over 4 years, which he signed with Buffalo last year.
“He’s not available for trade,” Miami GM Jon Eric-Sullivan said this week. “Things are going good. We’ve had some positive conversations over the last couple of days, trending in the right direction. Obviously, he’s very important to what we’re doing. It’s part of professional sports. We’ll get where we need to be one way or another, but things are trending in the right direction.”
Achane had 1,838 yards of total offense in 2025-26 (1,350 rushing) and 12 touchdowns. This will be his first year without Mike McDaniel calling the plays. The defensive-minded Jeff Hafley has taken over as head coach and hired former Texans OC Bobby Slowik to call plays (Slowik was an assistant in Miami last year).
FREEFALL?
This week’s revelation that one of the top prospects in the draft, Rueben Bain, was the driver in a 2024 automobile accident that killed a passenger in his vehicle may have grabbed headlines, but it was nothing new to NFL teams. This has been common knowledge in league circles for at least a year because, quite frankly, it’s their job to know these things, especially when we’re talking about a possible top-10 pick.
To recap, Bain was driving a 2021 Land Rover when the SUV made contact with the vehicle ahead, careened across two lanes, and then collided with a concrete barrier. Destiny Betts, one of four others riding with Bain at the time, was seriously injured and never recovered, losing her life three months later.
Bain was issued a citation for careless driving, and no sobriety test was given. That citation was later dismissed, and no charges were filed against the Hurricane defensive lineman. Based on the information I’ve seen, the Betts’ family did not seek damages. Bain. He continued to play that season for Miami, then staked his claim as one of the best players in this year’s class.
I can’t help but find parallels to the 2023 draft, when Jalen Carter, the no-doubt #1 pick, was involved in a crash that killed one of his then-Georgia teammates and a staffer. Between that and a few more driving-related incidents, Carter fell to 9th overall before being selected by the Eagles. He’s since helped them go to two Super Bowls and win one, and is eligible for a contract extension that could very well make him the highest-paid interior defensive linemen in football.
Laremy Tunsil was another player in recent memory who fell in the draft after a spurned agent released a photo of Tunsil smoking marijuana - while wearing a gas mask - on Tunsil’s Twitter account. That happened the day of the draft, and the tackle went from a top-5 selection to 13th overall. Tunsil has been one of the best left tackles in football pretty much from jump, though he is well-traveled (Miami, traded to Houston, traded to Washington).
Will this incident cause Bain to fall further down the board? He already is an outlier, with an arm length of sub-31 inches. As I’ve written before, no player with sub-31-inch arms has recorded 10 sacks in a single season. Now teams can cite the off-field stuff, and if Bain goes on to be a very productive player in the league, that can always be their argument as to why they passed. This will certainly be a storyline to follow on day one (this Thursday).
NERD NUMBERS (courtesy of Pats PR)
- Zero. That’s the number of draft-day trades the Patriots made in 2004. It is the only year since 2000 that New England has not engaged in any draft-day trades.
- 2025 was the second year in a row that the Patriots used their first four draft picks on offensive players. In 2024, they used their first five draft picks on the offensive side of the ball. Prior to that, the team last started a draft with four straight offensive players in 2006 and 2000.
- The Patriots have drafted at least one wide receiver in five straight drafts after the team selected WR Kyle Williams in the third round in 2025, at least one defensive back in eight straight drafts (2018-25), and at least one offensive lineman in 12 straight drafts (2014-25).
- The Patriots drafted LB Bradyn Swinson in the fifth round out of LSU in 2025. With the selection of Will Campbell in the first round from LSU, it marked the 17th time since 2000 that the organization drafted at least two players from the same school, and first since the 2023 season when they drafted both P Bryce Baringer and CB Ameer Speed in the sixth round out of Michigan State.
- The Patriots own one of the seven draft classes that consisted of multiple future Pro Football Hall of Fame members in the same draft class since the 1970 merger: 1970: Pittsburgh – Terry Bradshaw, Mel Blount; 1974: Pittsburgh – Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth, Mike Webster; 1983: Chicago – Jim Covert, Richard Dent; 1985: Buffalo – Bruce Smith, Andre Reed; 1995: New England – Ty Law, Curtis Martin; 1995: Tampa Bay – Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks; 1996: Baltimore – Jonathan Ogden, Ray Lewis.