The New England Patriots followed up a 4-13 showing in 2023 with an identical 4-13 record this past season. The former came under the guidance of head coach Bill Belichick. The latter came under first-time NFL sideline leader Jerod Mayo. This offseason, Robert Kraft parted with the young coach, and hired another former Patriots’ linebacker in Mike Vrabel. The one-time Tennessee Titans’ head coach appears to be breathing life into a club that owns a dismal 33-51 this decade.
The Pats came into their offseason with plenty of salary-cap room, and they have spent plenty of money in order to upgrade a substandard roster. New England has scored a combined 525 points the past two seasons. That’s the same amount of points the AFC East champion Buffalo Bills totaled in 2024.
Patriots have addressed the offensive line in free agency
When it was all said and done, only the Chicago Bears gained fewer yards per game than New England this past season. While the running game was a respectable 13th in the league, only four teams allowed more sacks than the Pats (52). This offseason, the team added new starters in center Garrett Bradbury and right tackle Morgan Moses. Veteran Wes Schweitzer was also signed for depth. Could there be another experience offensive lineman ready to join the team?
Vrabel was the Titans’ head coach when the team used a third-round pick in 2022 on Ohio State offensive lineman Nicholas Petit-Frere. He started 16 games as a rookie, and started 10 of our 15 games this past season. Pro Football Focus ranks the former Buckeye as the 76th-ranked tackle by the service. While Tennessee cut him after just three seasons, could his former boss in Nashville give him a chance to revive his career? There’s probably nothing to lose considering the Patriots were PFF’s worst offensive line in the NFL in 2024.
