The New England Patriots’ summer break will come to an official end on Wednesday. At 10:15 a.m. ET, the team of new head coach Mike Vrabel will hold its first practice of this year’s training camp — kickstarting a five-week journey to build a roster and get the team in proper shape for the upcoming 2025 NFL season.
Over those five weeks, the entirety of what is currently a 91-man team will be under immense pressure to perform. For a variety of reasons, however, the following players in particular
will be in the spotlight.
QB Drake Maye
The third overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, Maye was picked by the Patriots with a clear plan in mind: he was about to become the face of the franchise and lead the team back to playoff contention. While he fell short of that second goal as a rookie, in large part through no fault of his own, the expectations remain unchanged.
Heading into his second training camp in New England, Maye is the undisputed No. 1 quarterback on the Patriots’ roster and a prime candidate for the famous second-year jump. If he can make it, a significant jump in performance should be expected. If not, however, the pressure will keep mounting.
Second-year receivers
The Patriots spent two high draft picks on their wide receiver position last year, but the return on investment so far has been marginal at best. Neither Ja’Lynn Polk nor Javon Baker have been able to carve out regular roles, and time might be running out on them.
The good news is that both are healthy heading into training camp, with Polk cleared after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery. The bad news is that they find themselves in a deep wide receiver room that saw several more additions this offseason.
RT Morgan Moses
When the Patriots signed Moses to a three-year, $24 million free agency deal in March, they left no doubt about his role on the team. Not only would he take over as the starting right tackle, he also would play a big role as a leader in the offensive line room. With longtime starting center David Andrews released (and subsequently retiring), the 12-year veteran will be a tone-setter up front both on and off the field.
DL Milton Williams
Sign the biggest contract in franchise history naturally comes with quite a bit of pressure — even more so when the team than asks you to play the biggest workload of your career, while also performing in an environment less talented than the one you are coming from. That is exactly where Milton Williams finds himself after putting his signature under a four-year, $104 million deal earlier this year.
Williams and Christian Barmore, who missed most of 2024 due to blood clots, are the clear starters along the Patriots’ interior defensive line. Both are compensated accordingly, and more.
LB Robert Spillane
The aforementioned David Andrews was not the only longtime Patriots captain to get handed his walking papers this offseason. Ja’Whaun Bentley also was cut by the club after multiple years of service and leadership. Replacing him very much one-for-one will be free agency pickup Robert Spillane.
Like Morgan Moses and Milton Williams, he too signed a major deal — three years, $33 million. And like those two, and particularly Moses, he also will be asked to do more than just look the part on the field: Spillane was signed to become a new leader on the defensive side of the ball, as evidenced by the fact that he will wear the communication device in his helmet this summer and fall.
LS Julian Ashby
The Patriots selected Ashby in the seventh round of this year’s draft and shortly thereafter released their long snapper of the last 10 seasons, Joe Cardona. The rookie is the only player at his position on the roster, which does not mean there will be any less pressure on him. Ashby, after all, has massive shoes to fill.
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