The Way Mike Vrabel Has Completely Overhauled the Patriots Roster is Astonishing

As unfair as this may sound, every once in a great while I get accused of being way to biased in favor of the football team I've been rooting for since my earliest childhood memories. Some at times have even said I'm not objective. Instead, regarding them with way too much optimism. Hard to believe, I know. But it's happened. Not so much lately. But I have experienced that exact sort of public shaming. 

With that in mind, none of what I'm about to say should be taken as me being wildly, irrationally hopeful about the 2025 New England Patriots. Because I already took care of that:

No, this isn't about how much the team has been improved this offseason. Only time will tell, and all that. I'm here just to express amazement at the speed and extent of the change in Year One of the Mike Vrable Era. It's been truly remarkable. 

I mean, we all expected turnover. Even hoped for it. Around the end of last season I did a thought experiment where I imagined there was an Expansion Draft in the league, and you could only protect five of your players. I came up with three names on the Patriots: Drake Maye, Christian Gonzalez, and maybe Keion White (based more on what he flashed early in his rookie year, not so much what we saw in the second half). Beyond them, I couldn't think of anyone I'd have to protect. Sure, I've got guys I like to varying degrees. But none I'd consider truly irreplaceable. 

Now that the draft is over and they added 11 draft picks to the expanded roster, to go along with the 15 guys they signed in free agency, plus the 11 more they signed as UDFAs:

… and it's crystal clear Vrabel and Eliot Wolf saw things the same way. 

To default to the obvious, played out metaphor about building a house, Vrabel came in and saw this as a tear down. Not even one with "good bones." He's restricted by all the extensions Wolf signed in 2024, meant to keep continuity for Jerod Mayo's first (only) season. But to the extent he could, Vrabel is ripping things out to the studs. And by "studs," I mean Maye, Gonzo, white and maybe a handful of others. 

Granted, when tear everything down to the support beams, you're going to lose some things that are precious to you. First it was David Andrews:

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And this week, it was Joe Cardona:

Which stings first because he's Joe fooking Cardona:

Jeff Kravitz. Getty Images.

But also for symbolic reasons. He was the last link on this roster to the Dynasty Era. Not just because he was the last remaining member of the Super Bowl LIII champs. But also because he was one of those ultimate Belichick Guys. A career long snapper who was drafted in the 5th round. A guy for whom arrangements were made so he could serve his active duty in Newport, RI instead of like Greenland, so he could make it to practice after discharging his duties each day. A guy who stood at rigid attention during the Anthem, no matter what was going on around the rest of the league. Someone who was among the highest paid at his weirdly specific position throughout his career. The fact Vrabel was unsentimental about Cardona's place on this team, and used his first draft to replace him with 251st pick Julian Ashby out of Vanderbilt, demonstrates that there are no sacred cows in the total rebuild he's undertaken.

We can expect a lot more cuts like Andrews and Cardona in the days and weeks to come. Among the core veterans whose names keep coming up on the roster cut projections is the Pats best wide receiver over the past four seasons, Kendrick Bourne:

The Athletic -   Most teams keep five or six wide receivers on the roster, and the Pats will have a tough time getting down to just six. … The guess for now is that the biggest battle is between [Ja'Lynn] Polk and Bourne. And the early prediction is that the Patriots bank on getting more out of Polk than Bourne, who will turn 30 during training camp.

Bourne is one of those guys I like I mentioned earlier. I think I speak for most Pats fans when I say that. He's got one of those positive, infectious attitudes that jump at at you even from a distance at training camp. We were all gobsmacked (at least my gob most definitely felt smacked) when he was put into Matt Patricia's kennel in 2021. But being "the Pats best wide receiver over the past four seasons" is a "Tallest Hobbit in the Shire" thing. His receiving yards and YPC declined each year of his Foxboro career. And his numbers regressed significantly from 2023 to last season, despite playing in 12 games as opposed to 8. In spite of Polk's much, much less productive 2024, he was a 2nd round rookie, and gets a few more chances to prove he belongs. 30 year old wideouts with 305 yards tend not to survive if you're in a genuine rebuild. Which this franchise most assuredly is. 

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As it's been pointed out a million times, the Patriots are attempting the same kind of rapid 180 the Commanders pulled off last year. Each of their top six draft picks appeared in 16 or more games. Fourth pick (2nd round, 53rd overall) TE Ben Sinnott was a role player, but the rest of their Top 5 were starters who saw significant playing time. Which is what the Pats should expect nothing less from their top four picks, all of whom were selected to block for Drake Maye, catch passes from Drake Maye, or in the case of TreVeyon Henderson, do both. It worked out in Washington, and that's the template in Foxboro.

So if I seem overly optimistic, just bear in mind we're coming off a good three or more seasons with the least talented rosters we've seen around here since the pre-Parcells years of the early '90s. A complete Ctrl+Alt+Delete was exactly what was needed. And we're getting one faster than any of us could've imagined. So I'm going to keep feeling great about this and apologize for nothing. All hail our new king.