While some outside the confines of One Patriot Place can’t help themselves, Mike Vrabel and company aren’t prisoners of the moment.
“Again, I’ll remind you, we’re eight games into what we feel like is a program that we want to build,” Vrabel said this week while preparing to host the Atlanta Falcons at Gillette Stadium.
Vrabel’s public sentiments align with how Albert Breer expects the Patriots to approach the NFL trade deadline Tuesday.
“I think they’re going to be intentional,” Breer said on Patriots Pregame Live ahead of Sunday’s contest. “What I mean by that is, they are going to stick to the plan that they’ve laid out, which is that this is a multi-year rebuild and just because they’ve had some success early on, it’s still year one.
“So, what does that mean?” Breer continued. “Well, I think that means for any sort of short-term fix, the price is going to have to be low. I’m talking about guys who are going to come in and patch a hole for right now, but might not be of great use to you in 2026 or 2027. If you’re talking about something that could be a little bit more of a long-term fix, where you can see the guy being part of the team for the next three or four years, then, yeah, absolutely, I think they would look at that.”
Breer believes the Patriots are concentrating on edge rusher and running back. Those needs have been stressed in recent weeks, especially following last week’s trade of pass-rusher Keion White and the early-season injury to running back Antonio Gibson. Fellow running back Rhamondre Stevenson was inactive against the Falcons due to a toe injury, as well.
New England’s front office will keep tabs on every position, Breer said, but the franchise is not expected to make an aggressive push just because it has exceeded expectations through eight weeks. The Patriots entered Week 9 atop the AFC East standings and second in the conference.
“I know some people have gotten to the point where they’re asking the question, ‘Why not get aggressive? Why not go after a championship now and strike while the iron is hot?'” Breer said. “I think you might be seeing a little bit of a cautionary tale there in Washington where the Commanders have gotten very, very aggressive.”
Breer cited Washington’s trades for cornerback Marshon Lattimore, wide receiver Deebo Samuel and left tackle Laremy Tunsil. The Commanders dealt three picks for Lattimore before last year’s deadline, dealt one for Samuel this offseason and parted with four picks for Tunsil, including a 2026 second- and fourth-rounder.
“They’ve been very competitive over the last year and a half as a result of this,” Breer said. “But the thing is, they’re getting old in some spots now, and they only have two picks in the first four rounds next year. They don’t have a lot of resources to get younger where they need to get younger.
“The Patriots right now, depending on how much Keion White plays in San Francisco, will have 10 or 11 picks in next year’s draft,” Breer continued. “Unless there’s some sort of game-changing talent, again, that’s going to affect them for the next three or four years, I don’t see them cutting much into that supply of draft picks.”
Breer name-dropped a few pass-rushers thought to be available, including Miami Dolphins’ Jaelan Phillips and New York Jets’ Jermaine Johnson. Miami has been in discussions with Philadelphia for Phillips, Breer reported, and the ‘Fins are hoping to acquire a Day 2 pick in a potential deal.
For more from Breer, check out the video above.
