Mark Daniels: Under Mike Vrabel, Patriots future finally looks bright

The feeling couldn’t be different. The same can be said about the roster.

A year ago, the Patriots collectively whiffed on free agency. In the draft, they selected prospects for need as opposed to best available. The 90-man roster didn’t look competitive, lacking depth and quality talent.

That was evident in the offseason. It was seen in training camp. It was more than obvious during another dismal football season. Although there are reasons for those misses last year, the Patriots weren’t able to put together a good team and it cost Jerod Mayo and a lot of others their jobs.

This year, however, it’s impressively different.

The roster put together by Mike Vrabel, Eliot Wolf, Ryan Cowden, and the new Patriots staff is a huge step in the right direction. Compare and contrast the roster to 2024 to right now and it’s not close.

Although Vrabel joked this offseason about the Patriots ‘winning’ in free agency, the truth is that we can actually see the arrow pointing up inside Gillette Stadium.

Vrabel came back to Foxborough with a clear vision of what he wanted for a team – on the field and off. The Patriots have added a laundry list of former captains in free agency and over the last three days in the draft. They’ve also built impressive depth that already puts last year’s roster to shame.

On Saturday, Patriots vice president of player personnel Ryan Cowden said the staff will keep their foot on the gas pedal. They’re optimistic about the future, but won’t be complacent.

“You never settle. You can constantly chase. When we’re done (Saturday) and after we sign those post-draft player, the first thing we’re going to look at on Monday and say, ‘where are we not good enough? Where did we not fill? Where do we not have enough depth?’” Cowden said. “It’s an ongoing constant hard look in really focus on your roster and where we need to get better at. I know that probably sounds cliché but it is a real thing. As soon as you think you’re good enough in one position you should probably take a look at it again because you’re probably not.

“Look, we’re excited. We really are.”

Last year, there was excitement for a different reason. Drake Maye marked the start of a new era. The most important draft pick in recent Patriots memory, Maye gave a struggling franchise a lifeline.

However, the roster built around him lacked nearly everything.

The Patriots offensive line was one of the worst in franchise history – allowing 52 sacks (the most since 1999). The wide receivers struggled against man coverage. Not a single receiver finished in the top 50 in receiving yards. The Patriots best running back, Rhamondre Stevenson, fumbled seven times.

The offense around Maye sputtered. Once again, the team finished near the bottom in scoring.

On defense, the Patriots finished last in the NFL in sacks. Outside of Christian Gonzalez, they lacked playmakers. That team allowed 417 points scored by opponents. That was the third most in franchise history. The defense allowed 2,233 rushing yards last season. That was the seventh most allowed in franchise history.

On special teams, Joey Slye made 78.8% of his field goals. That was 27th in the NFL – and just up slightly from 2023 when Chad Ryland finished last.

This time around, in one offseason, this new Patriots brass has put together a competitive roster – at least on paper. Between free agency and the draft, the Patriots have added talent to almost every single level of the offense and defense.

On the offensive line, the Patriots added veteran right tackle Morgan Moses, veteran center Garrett Bradbury, and veteran guard Wes Schweitzer. In the draft they landed the top left tackle, Will Campbell, and arguably the best center Jared Wilson. At receiver, they brought in Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs, veteran Mack Hollins, and one of the most explosive players in the draft, Kyle Williams. At running back, they selected TreVeyon Henderson, who’s one of the best playmakers in this draft class.

Vrabel also reinforced his defense everywhere.

The interior of his defensive line has been reinforced with Milton Williams, Khyiris Tonga, and rookie Joshua Farmer. The linebacker unit has been upgraded with Robert Spillane and Jack Gibbens. The edge rushers now include Harold Landry, K’Lavon Chaisson, and rookie Bradyn Swinson. The cornerback group added Carlton Davis. At safety, there’s former captain Marcus Epps and rookie Craig Woodson added to the depth chart.

On top of all that, the Patriots selected the best kicker in the draft, Andres Borregales.

As we all know, games aren’t won in the offseason. A roster on paper means nothing. However, this time around, the Patriots look like a team that’s finally trending in the right direction.

After back-to-back 4-win seasons, that’s a huge relief.

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