Sunday Patriots Notes: Mike Vrabel predicts extensive roster turnover

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Notes and thoughts on the Patriots roster, the trade market, arm length, and more.

The NFL Scouting Combine is drawing to a close, and with it one of the busiest weekends on the leagues offseason calendar.

The New England Patriots were active participants in it as well, meeting with numerous of the this years top draft prospects while also making head coach Mike Vrabel and de facto general manager Eliot Wolf available for the media.So, with that all said, lets put a bow on the week that was.

Welcome to the latest edition of our Sunday Patriots Notes.Mike Vrabel predicts extensive roster turnoverWith a little over a week until the start of free agency, the Patriots personnel tally looks as follows: they have 59 players signed to contracts or reserve/future deals, with 12 others headed for the open market as either unrestricted, restricted, or exclusive rights free agents.Over the coming weeks and months, the Patriots will fill the open spots on their roster to get to the 90-player limit.

However, the team will not just be focused on addition: as Mike Vrabel explained in Indianapolis, the entire team is under evaluation and turnover a guarantee.What the roster looks like today is going to be vastly different than what it looks like at the end of August, he explained.

The players will determine their role, just like we always say, how hard they work, what theyre willing to do to help us, how many positions that they can play, their versatility.

We got a lot of time for that.But if they show up, theyre willing to learn, theyre willing to work hard, be a great teammate, you can find places for guys like that.Vrabel and the rest of the Patriots new-look coaching staff putting the entire roster under the microscope is no surprise.

The principles that were in place under the previous regime led by one-and-done head coach Jerod Mayo no longer apply, and neither do some of the schemes that were implemented.As a consequence, the Patriots are willing to tackle their rebuild head on.

It helps that they do have the resources to do so, ranking first in the NFL in available salary cap space and owning the fourth pick in the draft as well as four selections total on the first two days.I think that well explore every opportunity that we can to add great players that we feel like are the right fit and that can help us, Vrabel said.

Theres only so many options in free agency and a trade and the draft.

Well explore all three of those.What will come of that process remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: we should expect plenty of movement.Trade market becoming more attractive than free agency?The Patriots have more than $130 million in salary cap space to work with, but there are questions about how to spend the money available.

Fact is, after all, that some of the blue-chip talent in this years class might not even make it to the open market.Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, for example, is seen as a candidate to receive the franchise tag.

Kansas City Chiefs guard Trey Smith already was tagged, while the Los Angeles Rams re-signed left tackle Alaric Jackson to a three-year extension.

Meanwhile, the Baltimore Ravens are optimistic that they will keep their own LT, Ronnie Stanley, as well.All four of those players would have made sense as Patriots targets.

With potentially none of them available, however, there is a chance the team will not be able to get the quality of players it would have hoped for somewhat neutralizing the position as the team with the most cap space in football.As a consequence, the Patriots might be more willing than usual to keep an open eye on the trade market.

Several high-profile options are likely to be available, after all, including the likes of wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Brandon Aiyuk, defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, and edge defenders Myles Garrett and Harold Landry.New England has the financial means to take on those contracts, and others as well.

The team also seems to have the willingness as indicated by Mike Vrabel to be active on the trade market if a chance presents itself.Obviously, the trade market comes with its own set of questions and uncertainties.

New England should still be in a position to strike.Patriots might have an eye on 2026Speaking of the Patriots salary cap space, the team using the extent of its financial resources this offseason is not a given.

For starters, cap expert Miguel Benzan projects close to $25 million in future expenses that need to be accounted for.In addition, another thought comes to mind.

The NFL currently is in the second year of a three-year spending circle where teams have to use a minimum of 90 percent of the salary cap.

It would therefore not be surprising if the Patriots kept some buffer for 2026 with potential contract extensions for cornerback Christian Gonzalez and defensive lineman Keion White on the horizon.I just think were going to do what we have to do, said Eliot Wolf this week.

I think its probably not responsible to spend the whole thing.

But again, thats not to say we wont do it if theres a player out there, or players out there, that can fill a role for us.Davon Godchaux situation signaling defensive shiftGoing back to the trade market, the Patriots might be active even if they dont bring somebody in.

They have, after all, granted veteran defensive tackle Davon Godchaux permission to look for a trade partner.There are multiple reasons why, including his age and a comparatively sizable salary cap number of $8.3 million for an early-down player.

One aspect cannot be ignored either: with Mike Vrabel and defensive coordinator Terrell Williams coming aboard, the Patriots appear to be shifting away from the gap-control style they played along their D-line for the better part of the last quarter century.Even though Vrabel spent eight years as an active player in a scheme like that under previous head coach Bill Belichick, his and Williams defense projects to be more aggressive.

That is not to say that gap control will not have a part in it Vrabel has repeatedly mentioned the desire to be scheme versatile but it might make a relatively limited player such as Godchaux a fungible commodity.Will Campbell not concerned about arm lengthEvery NFL Draft cycle seems to have its buzzwords, and arm length definitely is among this years.

One player in particular is at the center of the discussion about length: LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell, arguably the top offensive lineman available and a realistic target to be drafted by the Patriots early in the first round.Campbell himself knows that he does not possess the standard length associated with NFL tackles, but does not see a problem in that.I think that Ive shown everything I need to on tape to show that I can play tackle at an elite level, he explained at the Combine.

You can go look at my tape, theres not one play on there when I get beat you can say, Thats because he has shorter arms.

Obviously, I dont have stereotypical offensive tackle arms, but Im aware of that and thats something that I use every week in my game planning preparation how to attack different defenders.Campbells remarks effectively echo what the Patriots brass also talked about this week.

Mike Vrabel suggested that arm length would not be a definitive disqualifier, while Eliot Wolf also mentioned that it needed to be viewed in a larger context.Its a tool, just like any tool that we use, he said.

It all comes back to film.

I know Mike said this, but Coach Belichick was big on that too.

There are plenty of guys that have long arms ...

The guys that can maximize their length, to me when youre writing a scouting report, its more advantageous.

You can write that the guy has good length, but the extension, the punch that he plays with is more important than the actual number.The Patriots seemingly are putting their money where their mouth is: they reportedly view Campbell as a tackle, despite his expected below-threshold arm length.Patriots will play Drake Maye card in free agencyWhile the Patriots did have plenty of cap space available last year as well, they did lack one big selling point: they had no quarterback capable of attracting free agents.

With 2024 first-round draft pick Drake Maye showing plenty off promise as a rookie, that has now changed and the team knows it can use that to its advantage.Offensively, quite a bit, but defensively, some as well, said Eliot Wolf when asked about how big of a role Maye will play in recruiting free agents.

Drake showed tremendous improvement throughout the season.

Theres still plenty of room to grow, but having that guy in place is paramount to our success.

Were really excited about the future that he can bring to our organization.Mike Vrabel aims to keep his coaches freshWithin two years, the Patriots have gone from one of the smallest coaching staffs in the NFL to one of the biggest.

Bill Belichick famously relied on only a handful of assistants to run his team, but both of his successors first Jerod Mayo, now Mike Vrabel have taken a different approach.As Vrabel explained this week, he believes having more people on staff gives the team an advantage in the long run.We have to have energy.

Its a long season.

I dont want anybody in there until midnight coming back in at 4 in the morning, he said.

I just dont think thats healthy.

I dont think thats healthy for the individual.

I dont think thats healthy for their families.I think the people that benefit the least are the players.

We have to come into this meeting each and every day, sell our vision, sell our plan on how to win each and every week.

If we dont have enough people to remain efficient, then sometimes people get worn down, and I dont want to see that happen.

Now, we dont want people just standing around doing nothing.

Were going to make sure that everybody has a job and a role on our staff.Patriots interviewed Wes Welker for a job on their staffOne of the more controversial staffing decisions made by Mike Vrabel this year was hiring Todd Downing as wide receivers coach.

The 44-year-old does have extensive coaching experience, including as a coordinator in Oakland, Tennessee and New York, but he joined New England without having led a wideouts room.And yet, the decision was made to bring him in even over another popular candidate: ex-Patriots wideout and former receivers coach in San Francisco and Miami, Wes Welker, who did in fact interview for the open position according to a report by MassLive.With Wes Welker parting ways with the Dolphins, conventional wisdom suggested hed be a candidate for New Englands wide receivers coach opening.The Patriots did interview their former All-Pro.

Ultimately, they hired former Titans offensive coordinator Todd Downing, whose play-calling experience was valued by both Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels.Time will tell whether or not Downing will be the right man for the job.

The report about the team picking him over Welker, however, will only put him and his position group more in the spotlight fairly or not.Patriots offseason program to start April 7The Patriots have yet to announce their official offseason workout schedule, but Mike Vrabel did drop a nugget during his Combine press conference: the team will be back at work starting on April 7.With a new head coach being hired, the Patriots are allowed to start their workout program earlier than teams with returning coaches.Setting up the week aheadIts the calm before the storm over the next few days.

With NFL free agency set to begin on March 12, and the legal tampering period two days before that, the coming week will give teams a final opportunity to fine-tune their vision for the upcoming new league year and the market opening.From a Patriots perspective this means everything from possibly re-signing players or applying free agency tenders, to identifying outside targets to pursue in free agency and via trade, to making decisions about how to use certain players currently under contract.

Needless to say, the team will be quite busy even with the Scouting Combine soon coming to an end.One date does stand out, though: on Tuesday, March 4, at 4 p.m.

ET, the window to designate franchise players will close.

The Patriots will not use the tag on one of their free agents, but will keep a close eye on other teams around the league.In addition, the pro day cycle is getting started.

This week will see Indiana (Mar.

4), Purdue (Mar.

5), Illinois State (Mar.

6), East Texas A&M (Mar.

7) and Washington State (Mar.

7) give their draft hopefuls an opportunity to showcase themselves..

This article has been shared from the original article on patspulpit, here is the link to the original article.