The New England Patriots secured a comeback win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Saturday’s preseason matchup, but head coach Mike Vrabel is more focused on the bigger picture for 2026.
Positional depth is an obvious concern, particularly on defense, and it became even more glaring with the backups in during the first half of Saturday’s game. The Eagles’ run game steamrolled New England’s defensive front on their first touchdown drive of the night, and the linebacker position was again exposed as a legitimate area of concern.
Vrabel called it “dogsh— defense,” and he lamented his team’s lack of depth when asked whther the starters could see action in Thursday’s preseason finale vs. Cleveland.
“I do not think we have a very deep team,” he said. “So I think we have to make sure that we are preparing our football team and that we are doing everything that we can to keep our best players available.”
Vrabel was asked about his candid comments during his Monday appearance on WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show. Was he sending a message to the Patriots front office?
“We are the front office,” Vrabel answered. “We are all making the decisions. We’re all included in this. It was about the young guys we have to develop. You can see that the players we kept out of the game, those are the guys. And we have to be able to find some guys behind them to be backups, to be the first guy in. To be the third outside linebacker. Be the third inside linebacker. Be the sixth offensive lineman. These things that are so critical. Be the third safety.
“So those are the things that we are trying to develop, and I guess that’s what I was referencing. I can walk back, and I’ve already talked to (executive vice president of player personnel) Eliot (Wolf) this morning, and these aren’t issues. I’m not in a subtle context – that wasn’t that. They asked why we didn’t play the guys, and we have to have everybody we have available and then continue to develop and see some guys that went out and played like they did on Saturday night to continue to build that depth.”
So, why aren’t the Patriots a deep team?
“I think that when you look at how you want to be constructed, we have to continue to draft very well,” Vrabel said. “We have to continue to develop those late-round picks, the guys that we can find that can be interior offensive linemen, that can be special teams linebackers, which is what we’re hoping when you look at Nam(di Obiazor) and Khalil (Jacobs). Drafted some edge guys that you can develop and that maybe haven’t played necessarily this 3-4 defense in the past but that you’re developing.
“That’s just kind of where we were constructed and I think we can always work to improve that. You just know that through the course of the season you’re going to need so many of those guys just because things are going to happen and we have to be ready to play games without those front-line guys. That’s on us to be able to get these guys ready to go.”
Vrabel’s concerns about his team’s lack of depth are warranted. The Patriots must be able to rely on their backups if they’re going to have any chance of duplicating their stellar 2025 season. As of now, it’s difficult to picture this group staying afloat if key starters are sidelined.
New England lost tackle Marcus Bryant to injury during Saturday’s preseason game, further thinning the offensive line depth. Interior lineman Ben Brown previously went down with an injury in the preseason opener and did not suit up on Saturday.
Veteran linebacker Harold Landry remains on the PUP list due to a knee issue. Offseason addition Julian Hill’s season-ending injury was a devastating nlow to the Patriots’ tight end depth.
Vrabel will hope to see improvement from his reserves in Thursday’s preseason finale. The Patriots will practice Monday and Tuesday before traveling to Cleveland.
