The New England Patriots have ended their offseason program and now break until training camp later this month. While players are out of the facility, plenty remains to break down.
So, let’s get into this week’s #PostPulpit Mailbag.
Next week players will be back and we ll know better if Gonzalez is satisfied and Jacas signed/healthy. In your opinion how many players have already secured their seat in the club 53 and how many positions remain really up for grabs ? – 7i165
Running through the roster
I was (conservatively) currently in the high 30’s, with the following players accounting for 38 spots on the 53 man roster:
QB: Drake Maye, Tommy DeVito
RB: Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson
WR: A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams, Efton Chism III/DeMario Douglas
TE/FB: Hunter Henry, Eli Raridon, Reggie Gilliam
OL: Will Campbell, Morgan Moses, Caleb Lomu, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Jared Wilson, Mike Onwenu, Ben Brown
Edge: Harold Landry, Dre’Mont Jones, Gabe Jacas, Elijah Ponder
DL: Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, Cory Durden, Joshua Farmer/Leonard Taylor III
LB: Robert Spillane, Christian Elliss
CB: Christian Gonzalez, Marcus Jones, Carlton Davis
S: Craig Woodson, Kevin Byard, Mike Brown
ST: Andy Borregales, Julian Ashby, Bryce Baringer/potential punter addition
That would leave ~15 spots to fill, with the biggest needs for depth on defense and along the offensive line alongside Lomu and Brown.
I feel like we NEED at least one additional linebacker of quality. The rest of this defense is just too good (even with the average EDGE personnel) to do it the disservice of not adding another LB or two. Options? Is this a “next year’s draft/FA” problem, instead? – MoiseT
As of now I’d predict that’s an addition that comes next year. But perhaps depth players like Chad Muma, K.J. Britt and rookie Namdi Obiazor don’t get off to a strong start this summer and force the team to look for an outside addition. As of now available options include Bobby Okereke, Bobby Wagner, Matt Milano, etc. They could also explore the position later in the summer around roster cutdown day.
What does Drake Maye realistically need to do to be considered a top 5 QB in the league going into 2027? – CraftBeerDrinker
How can the team address Drake Maye’s ball security issues? – slunkywontergreen
We’ll lump these two questions together because improving ball security would be a major step toward Maye becoming a consensus top-five quarterback. After fumbling nine times in 13 games as a rookie, Maye put the ball on the ground 15 times last season, including seven times in the postseason.
Part of what makes Maye special is his dual-threat ability and playmaking outside of structure. New England does not want to take that away from him, but he must do a better job protecting the football in those situations. With a greater emphasis on pre-snap communication this offseason, Maye should be able to avoid some strip sacks by getting the ball out quicker. From there, it’s simply a matter of protecting the football as a runner.
Beyond that, if Maye replicates the level of passing production and efficiency he showed last season, he should firmly establish himself in top-five quarterback conversations.
what are realistic expectations for our WR2 Doubs this year? I’m surprised to see sportsbooks over/under around only 600-650 yards and 4.5 TDs. How much production would he need to match the value expected from his contract of 4 yr $68M ($80M w incentive, effectively a 2 yr $35M fully guaranteed deal)? – sanfranpatsfan
Doubs is paid as a No. 2 pass catcher. On the better teams in football, their No. 2 pass catcher was around the 800-yard mark last season — including New England (Hunter Henry, 768). With Doubs having a single-season career-high of 724 yards, I would say realistic expectations are the 800-yard mark.
There are many different attributes that contribute to success as an NFL head coach; strategists, motivators, teachers, talent evaluators, organizational structure etc. Walsh, Parcells, Belichick all hof (or worthy) coaches but vastly different styles. How would you characterize Vrabel as a head coach and what do you see as his strengths and his weaknesses heading into year 2? – Frowned_Upon
Vrabel has an excellent understanding of the game, which allows him to be involved in all three phases despite not calling plays. His greatest strength, however, is his ability to build a culture and establish a clear identity for a team. Players genuinely enjoy playing for him, and that has been evident throughout his year in New England.
As for a weakness, some — particularly dating back to his time in Tennessee — have argued that he can be overly loyal at times. Beyond bringing several players and coaches he previously worked with to New England, it’s difficult to determine whether that will become an issue again after just one season.
Hi, we were informed about Terrell Williams move to Assistant Head Coach as Zak Kuhr will be the DC moving forward. Do you know what his role and responsibilities will be in this new position? Assuming it will be defensive focused? Thanks – sqpondme
We don’t know the exact specifics about Williams’ day-to-day role (something that we will get more insight on from Mike Vrabel and players as training camp progresses into the season). He will likely assist all over the place on the defensive side of the ball, which is where he primarily spent his time during the spring.
Who is your surprise team this year? The team that comes out o f nowhere to be good/playoff team – XGhost-PepperX
I like what the Saints did this offseason in what seems like a pretty average NFC South. Kellen Moore is a really good offensive mind and Tyler Shough looked good down the stretch last season. They then added Jordyn Tyson, Oscar Delp, Travis Etienne, and David Edwards to the offensive unit that already included Chris Olave and Co. If Shough takes a step forward, that could be a fun/productive offense to go with a defense that was top 10 last season.
That’s all for this week’s #PostPulpit mailbag. If you have questions you’d liked to be answered next week, submit them online in our weekly submission post or on Twitter using #PostPulpit. Make sure to be following @iambrianhines and @PatsPulpit as well.
