The New England Patriots ramped up the intensity of their offseason this week, reconvening at Gillette Stadium for the first three of nine organized team activities. While only one of those sessions was open to the media, it did provide a small glimpse into the team’s preparation for the 2026 season.
Given the busy week that was — and what will, and might, lie ahead — let’s quickly clean out the notebook. Welcome to the latest edition of our Sunday Patriots Notes.
‘Identity soldiers’ setting the tone
The Patriots have invested considerable
resources in their trenches since Mike Vrabel’s arrival as head coach in January 2025. The results showed on the field, and off it as well: for Vrabel, those particular units helped set the tone for the entire team.
With OTAs underway and the focus fully on 2026, the expectation is that they will do the same.
“We talk about our defensive line and our offensive linemen, they have to be our identity soldiers and the warriors that carry the message in the way that they play,” Vrabel pointed out ahead of Wednesday’s first open practice. “When big dudes run and hit people, you can make an impact on the game. You saw a lot of those guys that came out of the stack that made plays. Cory [Durden] was one of them. Milt[on Williams]. On and on and on.”
Vrabel has been intent on rebuilding the Patriots’ culture, and his team’s signings along the offensive and defensive lines reflect that.
Whether it was a proven tone setter like Milton Williams or a multi-year team captain like Harold Landry on defense, or O-linemen such as Morgan Moses and Alijah Vera-Tucker, talent and leadership were both critical elements to the new additions; New England also added multiple culture guys in the draft, including back-to-back first-round offensive tackles Will Campbell and Caleb Lomu.
Together, they all will be tasked to turning Vrabel’s vision for the team into practice — and to help those with lesser experience acclimate to the program.
“We had a lot of younger players just getting that experience and learning and growing from the mistakes that we made last year,” said Williams. “I feel like everybody can just continue to be better.”
Kyle Williams’ versatility
The Patriots trading for Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown could be right around the corner, but their practice focus naturally remains on the players present. Among them is second-year wideout Kyle Williams, who showed some flashes during what was mostly a quiet rookie campaign.
Still, Williams appears to be a player on the up. New England’s plan, according to Mike Vrabel, is to further enhance what he proved himself capable of and keep building his repertoire as a pass catcher.
“We always try to give players the things that they’ve done well and the things that they can try to enhance and their areas of focus,” Vrabel explained.
“Kyle’s strength and his ability to manage as a speed player has improved, and he’s really talking to the strength coaches. He’s embraced that idea of lifting and how critical that is for all players, but especially a younger one as a receiver. You saw him really have some great flashes last year. The other thing that’s really critical with receivers is once they can know more than one position, it really opens up their opportunities in what they can do as opposed to just being a one-position player.”
Williams was a third-round selection in last year’s draft and went on to appear in 21 games as a rookie. A depth option at the position, he finished with a combined 411 offensive snaps as well as 12 catches on 27 targets, 223 receiving yards and a trio of touchdowns.
Christian Gonzalez’s absence
One of the biggest stories coming out of organized team activities was star cornerback Christian Gonzalez not being present for the first week. The reason behind his absence is not known, but it comes a few weeks after the Patriots exercised the fifth-year option in his rookie contract; the 2023 first-round draft pick, however, is looking for a long-term deal that will compensate him as one of top CBs in football.
Gonzalez did participate in workouts earlier in voluntary the offseason and should be back with the team at some point between now and the start of mandatory minicamp on June 15, but in the meantime his absence — as well as that of fellow starting CB Carlton Davis — opens the door for others to gain some valuable reps with the top-level defense. Rookie Karon Prunty took advantage during the only open session on Thursday, hauling in an interception against Drake Maye.
Offseason workouts are not the main deciding factor when it comes to making a roster spot, but they are a foundation. And for Prunty, Kindle Vildor and other depth cornerbacks, they could prove to be a first stepping stone toward positioning themselves well in the competition.
As for Gonzalez, his absence is felt as Milton Williams explained.
“He’s one of the best corners in the league. So, he’s a big piece of our team and our defense,” the defensive tackle said. “Pretty sure he’ll be back, but they don’t pay me to make a call like that.”
OTA returnees
Including Gonzalez, seven players were absent from the Patriots’ OTA session on Wednesday. Based on a video shared by the team released in the aftermath of Friday’s practice, however, it appears at least two have returned: wide receivers Mack Hollins and Kyle Dixon are among the apparent participants.
Kicker-coach relationship
Admitting that his rookie season flew by, kicker Andy Borregales is trying to settle down in Year 2 in hopes of making the famous second-year jump. Assisting him in that process are Patriots special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer and his assistant Tom Quinn, who he has built a good relationship with.
“It’s always been a two-way street,” he said. “I always voice my opinion and say, obviously, ‘Coach me up.’ And I love the dynamic that we have, and look forward to keep it going.”
Borregales added that he was primarily working on improving his accuracy during the offseason. He made 31 of 38 field goals as a rookie as well as 60 of 62 extra points.
Top picks left unsigned
Quickly after the NFL Draft, the Patriots managed to sign seven of their nine selections to their rookie deals. Since then, however, they have slowed down and their top two picks remain unsigned: neither offensive tackle Caleb Lomu nor edge Gabe Jacas have been signed just yet. They are two of only 18 combined first- and second-round picks to remain unsigned.
Is there cause for concern? Hardly considering that the Patriots have until training camp to officially get them into the fold. Anything but that happening would be a major surprise. In fact, given the number of picks in their vicinity already signed it seems more likely that they will do the same sooner rather than later.
Jerod Mayo’s reemergence
Ever since getting fired following the Patriots’ 4-13 season in 2024, former New England head coach Jerod Mayo has kept a low profile. However, as found out by Chris Mason of MassLive, he took a job as a managing director at Fifth Down Capital, a private equity and business capital firm, earlier this year.
Until January, a month before Mayo joined, Fifth Down also employed another ex-Patriot: Robyn Glaser, the team’s former executive vice president of football business and advisor to the head coach under Mayo.
World cup vibes
One of the biggest sporting events in the world is visiting the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer: the FIFA World Cup, which will also see seven games get played at Gillette Stadium (which has been rebranded as “Boston Stadium” for sponsorship reasons). Those games are not the only connection between New England and the tournament.
According to sports broadcaster Ben Jacobs, two countries will also hold their team camps in the region. Two-time champion France will set up shop at Bentley University in Waltham, with Ghana calling Bryant University in Smithfield — the Patriots’ former training camp site — their temporary home.
Grass vs. turf debate
The World Cup coming to NFL stadiums also means that the playing surface debate is back. According to FIFA rules, grass is the only acceptable surface for its event, which means a change in multiple arenas — including the Patriots’, which has been using turf since 2006. The belief is that all stadiums undergoing such changes will eventually return to turf after the tournament, but there have been prominent voices among NFL players advocating for grass.
Among them are Milton Williams and Andy Borregales.
“I feel like your cleats come in and out better. I feel like you can cut more or cut better,” Williams said about playing on grass. “But I do like playing on some turfs. New Orleans’ turf — I think they got one of the best turfs in the league.”
“Honestly I like both. If I had to choose, I’d probably go grass but I really don’t mind turf,” Borregales added. “Especially when it’s colder, it’s a lot easier to plant in.”
Week ahead
After holding their first three OTA practices, the Patriots will return to the Gillette Stadium practice fields for three more sessions this coming week. The expectation is that those sessions will take place on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, with the second of those session open to the media.
Even though their practice schedule is notable, most of the attention this week will — for better or worse — be elsewhere. With the calendar turning from May to June, the window to trade for the aforementioned Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown will officially open. The saga ending sooner rather than later could very well happen, but time will be the ultimate judge of that.
