FOXBOROUGH - As Patriots first-year players and some fringe roster holdovers from a year ago were put through their paces at rookie mini-camp on Saturday, there was a loud voice heard on the upper grass practice field. There was no mistaking that voice, nor the energy behind it.
Mike Vrabel was, on this day, exactly the same guy we saw last spring and summer. During team stretch, he suited up his right-hand man, John Streicher, with a blocking pad, making sure it fit just right. Later, he was on the scout team, playing linebacker opposite 7th-round pick quarterback Behren Morton. A short time after, the 50-year-old was hands-on with linebacker Namdi Obiazor as he and several of his teammates worked on punt protection.
Different year. Drastically different circumstances based on the last month or so, but at least with the newcomers, it was the Mike Vrabel you remember.
“It's great,” tackle Dametrious Crownover said of the head coach’s involvement. “He's a great guy, and I've learned a lot from him already, just from being here the last two days.”
What was that, exactly?
“What it takes to play offensive line at an elite level,” he responded. “He's not going to let you slack off. He's going to stay on you and make sure he's getting the best out of you.”
The greater challenge for Vrabel will be when the entire team is gathered, and he will need to find a message or messages that resonate with the 2026 bunch as well as they did in 2025.
It takes on added importance, considering that some of his communications in the aftermath of the Dianna Russini saga weren’t as well-received as they had been just days prior. There are those in the building who feel Vrabel understands the challenge this has created and believes he will strike the right notes, while also noting Drake Maye’s leadership and support of the coach has been helpful.
MEANWHILE…
Oh yeah, rookie mini-camp. We’re not out here gleaning a ton of meaningful information. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
2nd rounder edge rusher Gabe Jacas was present but did not participate, while 3rd round TE Eli Raridon was not seen. Those two, like top pick Caleb Lomu, are without contracts (***Raridon signing annonced by team at 4 PM***). Lomu, however, was a full-go, playing left tackle with this scaled-down group, numbers-wise, while Crownover manned the right side. Crownover is a massive human, while Lomu is, at least in shorts, an easy mover. His kick-step is quick, and he showed good technique, engulfing Quintayvious Hutchins on a couple of pass-rush sets during 11-on-11s (which were not full-contact because, um, shorts…).
On that note, Hutchins was injured during that period and did not return to the field. He appeared to be holding his left arm or shoulder, but again, no word on what happened, nor do we expect one from the team at this juncture.
Hard not to have these eyes drawn to NAIA product, WR Kyle Dixon. The UDFA had a couple of catches during the team period, including one on a post route. There was a defender who, had this been a game, might have been able to knock the stuffing out of him, but at least Dixon made the catch in this circumstance. All in all, the ball did not hit the ground very often, a credit to Morton. The Texas Tech product was quick to get the ball out and generally accurate. There was also a little more giddy up on his throws.
“This is the healthiest I’ve been in a very long time,” Morton told me. “Shoulder hasn’t felt this good since high school.”
Morton dealt with a number of injuries in college, including one to the AC joint in his throwing shoulder. That led some scouts to question his overall arm strength. On this day, it looked better than I anticipated.
I was somewhat surprised at the amount UDFDA WR Nick DeGennaro lined up as the ‘X’ receiver. Based on the work I’ve done on him, I suspected he’d be more of an inside player. Then again, we know Josh McDaniels wants his receivers to be interchangeable, so perhaps this is just part of that process.
Lastly, there was a punter here on a tryout basis. Indiana’s Mitch McCarthy, a native Australian, is getting a look. Based on the inconsistencies of veteran Bryce Baringer, competition this spring and summer feels like a must. We’ll see if McCarthy can take advantage of this May opportunity. McCarthy is hard to miss. He’s 6’5”, 230 lbs, and averaged 41.4 yards per punt for the National Champion Hoosiers, dropping 15 of his 37 punts inside the 20-yard line.
WHAT’S DOWN IS UP AGAIN?
It wasn’t all that long ago - March of 2025 - that Browns owner Jimmy Haslem said this about Deshaun Watson:
“We took a big swing and miss with Deshaun. We thought we had the quarterback, we didn't, and we gave up a lot of draft picks to get him. So we've got to dig ourselves out of that hole. (It) was an entire organization decision, and it ends with Dee (his wife) and me, so hold us accountable."
Now? Haslem is singing a different tune, opining that the quarterback could rewrite what has been a brutal 3-year run in Cleveland.
"Deshaun has a great chance,” he said. "He's in great shape … Let's see what Deshaun can do. We're all excited."
For those who have forgotten, and it would be easy considering how little impact Watson has made, the Browns surrendered three first-round picks, a third, and two fourths. Then they gave the quarterback a fully guaranteed contract for $230 million. Their reward for that?
Watson has played in 19 games over four seasons. 19! The tenure began with an 11-game suspension for off-field issues - and ended with the team opting to hold him out last year even after he recovered from a torn Achilles.
But with a new head coach (Todd Monken) and two second-year players who did jack squat as rookies (Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel), Cleveland has opened the door for Watson to re-emerge and perhaps earn some of the money still due to him ($46 million, though they will feel massive dead cap hits in future years).
"I would love to have that. I'm not there yet," Monken said last week when asked about who his starter is (there was a report Watson was the clubhouse leader).
He did add that he would love to have a clear depth chart by the time training camp rolls around.
"Once we get back on the field for four weeks at the end of this spring, we'll have a better idea then.”
By all accounts, Watson outperformed Sanders (Gabriel a distant third) during the first part of OTAs. Considering the son of Deion was a 5th-round pick and did very little to change the narrative around himself during his rookie campaign, this is not surprising. But it still remains odd that Watson, who’s been unreliable on and off the field, may get a chance to revive a career that, quite frankly, appeared dead long ago. Only in Cleveland.
MISSED OPPORTUNITY? OR FORWARD THINKING?
The Rams were, by just about every metric, the best team in football for a majority of the 2025-26 season. But Sean McVay, MVP Matthew Stafford and company were unable to overcome the eventual Super Bowl champion Seahawks in the playoffs.
With Stafford, 38, returning (as he should), LA should be in win-now mode. They operated that way for much of the offseason, highlighted by trading one of their two first-round picks, 29th overall, to the Chiefs for cornerback Trent McDuffie and then signing him to a massive extension. They also added another KC corner, Jaylen Watson, and, with the 13th pick in round one, had a chance to get an immediate impact player. Instead, GM Les Snead and McVay decided to draft Alabama QB Ty Simpson.
On one hand, the pick makes sense. Stafford has been beaten up, and it was just a year ago the Rams wondered if he’d be ready to start the season because of his balky back. With backup Jimmy Garoppolo considering retirement (say it ain’t so, James), Simpson could be just one snap away.
But the flip side is that taking Simpson runs counter to how LA has operated. This isn’t a franchise that has often taken the long view. In fact, Snead coined the phrase “Eff Them Picks” and has largely operated with that mantra in mind. By grabbing the inexperienced Simpson - he started just 15 games at ‘Bama - the braintrust may have insulated themselves in the event of a Stafford injury, but is this player even worth being drafted so highly?
I can tell you from the discussions I’ve had with folks around the league, there’s a real split on what Simpson is and what he can be. His size (6’1”, 211) is troublesome, especially considering he struggled to make it through his lone year as a starter. He doesn’t have any plus traits - unless you count his IQ - and his tape is littered with examples of being unnerved by pressure and inaccuracy.
“He feels more like a Goff-type player to me,” said one scout. “It was McVay who insisted they move off Goff because he wanted someone who could access more of the field than Jared did. Simpson profiles that same way.”
NEWS NUGGETS
- The Jets and running back Breece Hall agreed to a three-year contract worth $45 million, but a closer look at the deal reveals $29 million guaranteed (over the first two years) and that’s that.
"Cried for the first time since I tore my ACL,” Hall wrote on social media. “This day really hit different for me man.”
Hall had been mentioned in trade talks last year, especially around the deadline. In fact, the Pats were one of the teams mentioned. But the Jets decided to keep him - to Hall’s dismay - even after moving Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner.
Hall rewarded the team by rushing for a career-high 1,065 yards and adding 36 receptions. The two sides couldn’t come to an agreement in March, and New York slapped the franchise tag on the running back ($14.3 million). Hall had yet to sign that, and has not been around for OTAs.
The Jets now have some talented skill position players - Hall, Garrett Wilson, and a pair of first-rounders, TE Kenyon Sadiq and WR Omar Cooper, behind an up-and-coming offensive line. Geno Smith is the starting QB.
- The Vikings plucked Jauan Jennings out of the remaining free agent bin for a deal that guarantees him $8 million and could be worth up to $13 million.
Jennings joins a wide receiver room featuring Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. But the 29-year-old - who has 132 catches over the past two seasons - is also one of the best blockers at the position. He also scored touchdowns in five straight weeks, highlighting his value as a red zone weapon. Jennings fills the void created when Jalen Nailor joined the Raiders this offseason.
- While we’re in Minnesota (not physically there, though I hear it’s lovely this time of year), there were multiple reports indicating the Vikings would have an open QB competition between JJ McCarthy and Kyler Murray.
HAHAHAHAHA.
McCarthy, a 2024 first-rounder, missed his first year after needing two knee surgeries, then dramatically underperformed as a starter. Murray was quickly scooped up after the Cardinals released him following the year. He isn’t in Minnesota unless he got assurances that the job is his to lose.
- Under the radar move on draft weekend came when the Eagles traded for edge rusher Jonathan Greenard. It cost a pair of third-round picks, but it armed Philly with a consistent force from the outside.
Based on the level of success Vic Fangio’s defense had when they acquired Jaelen Phillips from Miami last season (they were unable to retain him in free agency), Greenard should eat. Yes, his sack numbers decreased for the Vikings (it’s all about Minnesota, apparently), but his pressure rate was the best of his career.
Greenard received a four-year extension for $98 million. By comparison, Phillips got $120 million over the same length from the Panthers in free agency.