The last time we saw the New England Patriots play a competitive football game, they looked drastically different both on and off the field. However, the last eight months brought massive change to the organization from the top down — change whose impact will be on display on Sunday: at 1 p.m. ET, the Patriots will play their first game of the Mike Vrabel era against the visiting Las Vegas Raiders.
Throughout the week, our focus was on that particular contest. We looked at the Raiders’ roster, the decisive
matchups, the key questions entering the game, the Patriots’ X-factors for the contest, and a lot more.
However, those are not the only stories coming out of Gillette Stadium and indeed the NFL this week. So, to clean out the notebook, welcome to the latest edition of our Sunday Patriots Notes.
Trial by fire for the rookie class
With the recent addition of defensive tackle Eric Gregory, the Patriots’ 53-man roster now features 12 rookie players. Almost a fourth of the team is set to make its NFL debut on Sunday, but not the entire class will naturally be involved at the same level.
A handful of rookies will see extensive action, while others might only play rotational roles or be ruled out entirely. For that first group, which is headlined by fourth overall draft pick Will Campbell, the game against the Raiders will be trial by fire: the ramp-up period is over, now it is time to showcase what they have learned over the last few months going back to the offseason workout program.
Campbell and third-round pick Jared Wilson are set to start at left tackle and guard, respectively, and if all goes according to plan will lead the Patriots’ rookies in snaps against Las Vegas. For veteran Morgan Moses, who will line up alongside them as New England’s right tackle, the key for them lies in their poise and confidence.
“Keep poised. Be poised,” Moses said his message to them would be. “Believe in the techniques and the work that you put in for these last six, eight weeks. And then go out there and play football. You guys are here for a reason. You were drafted for a reason. Obviously, they worked their tails off all offseason and all training camp to be in the roles that they are. So, just going out there not doubting yourself.”
Besides the two offensive linemen, the Patriots will also rely on a trio of Day 3 selections to play prominent roles. Craig Woodson emerged as a starter-level safety over the course of training camp, pushing former top option Kyle Dugger down the depth chart and making another veteran, Jabrill Peppers, expendable.
Woodson earning the starter title on Sunday as well would therefore not be a surprise.
“Very comfortable or he wouldn’t be in there,” said defensive coordinator Terrell Williams about the fourth-round pick. “He’s a rookie. He’s earned his way to being one of the guys that has a chance to play for us. So, we fell very comfortable. Scott Booker’s done a great job of getting the kid ready to play, and he comes from a great program and so he’s definitely smart enough to do the things that we’re asking him to do.”
Barring any unexpected developments, Campbell, Wilson and Woodson will be the Patriots’ only rookies in the 22-player starting lineup. However, that does not mean the rest of the group will not be heavily involved as well.
Second-rounder TreVeyon Henderson will play a big role as a dynamic running back option; at least one of Kyle Williams or Efton Chism making the game day roster as a backup wide receiver should be expected; Marcus Bryant and Joshua Farmer will provide depth at offensive and defensive tackle, respectively; Elijah Ponder could see heavy action on special teams. And speaking of the kicking game, there are two other players who will be actively involved in that part of the game as well come Sunday.
Seventh-rounders Andy Borregales and Julian Ashby will make their debut as New England’s kicker and long snapper, respectively. While not starters in a traditional sense, their roles essentially fall in the same category — something that is also reflected by the pressure they will be under.
“Every day is a new day,” said special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer. “As rookies, those guys are going to hit highs and lows. I try to tell them, ‘Don’t ride the rollercoaster of emotion. Just continue to get better, stack days.‘ There have been a lot of days where I have to challenge those guys, and I’m going to continue to do that as we progress because they’re still rookies. They’re going to have their days, and I have to make sure I have my foot on them and make sure they’re working their tail off and earn their role and continue to prepare to win as well.”
Since 2000, 29 rookie players have started on opening day for the Patriots. Come Sunday afternoon, at least three
Makings of a good team captain
The Patriots announced their 2025 team captains earlier this week, with six players getting the honors for the upcoming season. Among them are longtime NFL veterans Hunter Henry and Harold Landry, who first entered the NFL in 2016 and 2018. Following their selections, they were asked what makes good captains in their estimation.
For them, it all starts with consistency.
“A guy that is the same guy every day,” said Landry. “He’s consistent, he’s a true pro, and he just leads by example; he backs up what he says.”
“It starts with consistency, who you are as a person, as a player, as a teammate,” added Henry. “Showing up every single day being the same. I want these guys to be able to rely on me in any situation on and off the field. I think it starts with that, and then encouraging guys, trying to be positive, trying to lift guys up any way I can.”
Besides those two, the Patriots’ players also voted for quarterback Drake Maye, linebacker Harold Landry, cornerback Marcus Jones and special teamer Brenden Schooler as captains.
Winning the second half
With their key personnel being limited throughout the preseason, Sunday will be the first time the Patriots — just like their counterpart — will need to go a full 60 minutes. For head coach Mike Vrabel, the second half will therefore be key to the game.
The message all week has therefore been a simple one: the Patriots aim to win the second half.
“If you’re not in shape, it’s easy to show up and not do what you’re supposed to do. The excuses multiply when you’re out of shape,” Vrabel said.
“I guess the phrase that kind of has got passed around for years now and everybody tries to take credit for, but this is certainly not mine, is conditioning makes cowards of us all. When you’re tired, you can make an excuse for why you didn’t get a block, why you didn’t hold onto the ball, why you didn’t pass protect, why you didn’t make a tackle. But when you’re in shape, and you can see somebody else out of shape, your opponent out of shape, it’s a much better feeling.”
Athletic shortcomings
Relative Athletic Score, a number compiled by NFL analyst Kent Lee Platte, was become a staple of pre-draft discussion about prospects. While not the be-all and end-all of player projection, it does give some context where certain players’ athletic strengths and weaknesses lie.
The same can be said for teams as a whole. A recent analysis of the NFL’s 32 roster reveals that, if using RAS as the basis, the Patriots have one of the least athletic teams in the league entering 2025: they are ranked 30th with an average score of 7.05, a slight step back from 2024 (when they were ranked 28th). New England is 29th in players over 8.0 and 30th in players under 5.0.
Ivan Fears, mentor
Ivan Fears was a core member of the Patriots’ coaching staff in the 2000s and 2010s and as wide receivers and later running backs coach helped the team win six Super Bowls. He retired after the 2021 season, but has still made regular appearances at Gillette Stadium through the years — including in 2025.
This has allowed New England’s current running backs coach, Tony Dews, to get close to the 70-year-old.
“I talk to him just about every day,” he said this week. “We converse, whether it’s about life and his kids or my kids, or there have been times when I’ve asked him football questions. Obviously, he’s a legend. He did it for a long time. He’s coached in a bunch of Super Bowls. He’s coached a bunch of very good backs. You don’t stay at a place for 20 years, 20 seasons and have the accomplishments you do without being really good. And so, me at this point, he’s a resource.
“Why wouldn’t I use him if I have a question about something? I’m not the smartest guy in the room, and if I don’t have all the answers and there’s someone that could help you and provide some who’s been in the system, who’s worked alongside Josh for a lot of years and coached a lot of successful players, why wouldn’t you use that resource when it’s available to you? I certainly take advantage of that opportunity. Any chance that I get or if there’s a question I need, he’s been so awesome and willing to answer any question I have.”
While that may sound like Dews and Fears have known each other quite some time now, that is not the case.
“This is the first time I’ve had a chance to really meet him,” Dews clarified. “When I got up here, obviously, I’ve watched him from afar and what he’s done with the players that have come through, the backs that he’s coached throughout his time here in this system.”
Safety requirements
Whether it was the development of rookie Craig Woodson, the demotion of former starter Kyle Dugger, or the surprising release of Jabrill Peppers, the Patriots’ safety position has been in the spotlight since the start of training camp. What exactly does the team want out of its players at that particular spot? Terrell Williams explained this week.
“Guys that can cover, guys that can tackle. That’s really what it is,” Williams said. “And guys that can also get players lined up. When you play safety in this league and in our defense, a lot of times you’re the last line of defense. So, we got to make sure if anything breaks through that they are able to get guys down on the ground. We ask a lot of them, and we’re happy with the guys that we have.”
‘Real’ depth chart
Leading up to their season opener, the Patriots updated their depth chart to reflect the players who are on the team after roster cuts and subsequent movement. Those depth charts tend to get overanalyzed, especially in light of one key fact: they are not released by the coaching staff or personnel department, but rather by the PR team and thus very much unofficial — a label that actually is attached to them.
Sunday’s game will allow for a first look at the real depth chart, but even that is not set in stone. Based on opponent, in-season performance or injury, even what looks like the Week 1 depth chart remains a fluid collection of players. An NFL team is never final, even after final cuts or with the season underway.
Bears’ QB process
Friend of Pats Pulpit Ty Dunne recently published a deep dive into the Chicago Bears’ dysfunction over on his Go Long blog, and it also features a few tidbits on the Patriots and their young quarterback, Drake Maye. Like the Bears’ eventual first overall pick in the draft, Maye also came out as a highly-touted prospect in 2024.
Chicago general manager Ryan Poles, however, did not view him this way. Quite the opposite: he openly ridiculed both Maye and the few open supporters he had within Chicago’s scouting staff. The entire story is worth reading, and we recommend you do, but this is a taste of what was going on with the organization’s QB evaluation last year:
The worst football moments of Drake Maye’s collegiate football life were plastered on the screen for all to breathe in. This was no accident. Multiple people inside this 2024 draft meeting say they knew exactly what Ryan Poles was up to. “He’s not sneaky,” recalls one scout, “and he thinks he is.” The Chicago Bears general manager, it appeared, was implanting the worst possible first impression he could inside the minds of his personnel men.
One year into their respective careers, one has to wonder whether or not Poles’ judgement was accurate.
‘We are all Patriots’ goes beyond the field
While we try to keep things all-football around these parts of the internet, that is not always possible. And Sunday will be a reminder of that: the Patriots playing their first game of the season, after all, will also be the first opportunity for their cheerleading squad to present itself — a squad that is not exclusively female, as some primarily conservative commentators seemingly would prefer.
You may not agree with it, but our stance on the matter is simple when it comes to New England (and by extension the rest of the NFL): if you celebrate the “We are all Patriots” slogan the team has adopted since 2001, it should also extend to the cheerleading squad and its members — regardless of sex or gender.
Setting up the week ahead
The Patriots’ 2025 regular season is almost underway, and so is their traditional Sunday-to-Sunday schedule. This means that we will have a classic in-season week ahead of us: some media availability Monday followed by an off-day on Tuesday leading up to three straight days of practice; on Friday, the final injury report will be released, with practice squad elevations set to be announced a day later; New England will also fly to Miami on Saturday.
Then, on Sunday, the Patriots will take on the Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. Kickoff is again scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
