OL 2026

[Rob0729]

That is true, however, I would satisfied with one in each position that can be relied upon to do their job. We are a long way from knowing if that will come true.

I am not advocating moving people around. I am just saying in an emergency or a rash of injuries, they have that flexibility to move people around.

 

[Real fan 02]

Rham is playing with real WR's now...the Defense should have a hell of time trying to cover AJB - Doubs - Henry with Rham as an outlet. The Third WR in this set should get a lot of favorable matchups...can't cover everybody.

Twin.. with camp opening today here are our top WRs.

AJ
Doubs
Boutte

Williams, Hollins and Pop will all factor in.. but go figure compared to what we have now from the last few seasons is like Night and Day.

 

[Wozzy]

Twin.. with camp opening today here are our top WRs.

AJ
Doubs
Boutte

This could change by week one.

 

[Real fan 02]

This could change by week one.

Agreed. But was just making a point to start camp pretty dam good startershttps://youtube.com/shorts/YezX

W-fTS3w?is=LxNCGz5R5zb8CG6z

 

[Wozzy]

Agreed. But was just making a point to start camp pretty dam good startershttps://youtube.com/shorts/YezX

W-fTS3w?is=LxNCGz5R5zb8CG6z

I love the group they’re bringing to camp, mainly because they’re bringing too many good WR’s and at least three playing for new contracts.

I am especially interested because they’re bringing talented UDFA’s to camp. One of these guys may surprise and be really good which will force them to make tough roster decisions by the end of preseason. This is a good problem to have.

 

[Family]

I love the group they’re bringing to camp, mainly because they’re bringing too many good WR’s and at least three playing for new contracts.

I am especially interested because they’re bringing talented UDFA’s to camp. One of these guys may surprise and be really good which will force them to make tough roster decisions by the end of preseason. This is a good problem to have.

This is what a position is like when you really have depth.

 

[Wozzy]

This is what a position is like when you really have depth.

No team has that much depth at every position. Expecting that is a pipe dream.

You have to rely on your scouts and coaches to find and develop players. There’s no other way… the salary cap is real and it’s a hard cap.

 

[Family]

No team has that much depth at every position. Expecting that is a pipe dream.

You have to rely on your scouts and coaches to find and develop players. There’s no other way… the salary cap is real and it’s a hard cap.

I agree.

But this fact doesn't make a position like ILB deep.

 

[Real fan 02]

I love the group they’re bringing to camp, mainly because they’re bringing too many good WR’s and at least three playing for new contracts.

I am especially interested because they’re bringing talented UDFA’s to camp. One of these guys may surprise and be really good which will force them to make tough roster decisions by the end of preseason. This is a good problem to have.

Agreed Wozzy great points. Having a bevy of talent is a wonderful problem for a team to have. Vrabel commitment to restocking the roster is apparent. Boutte is interesting because he still stands a chance at having a nice year provided he remains here. He would be the 3rd WR seeing favorable matchups up.. then next season he could see a nice contract somewhere. I still see potential of him remaining becuase injuries happen.

 

[Wozzy]

I agree.

But this fact doesn't make a position like ILB deep.

Nobody said deep, just not thin.

TE might be thin depending on how good/bad Dippre and Raridon are… they might also end up with the best TE room in the NFL. Julian Hill provided them some surety that no longer exists.

I made my 2025 bet last July the Patriots would win the AFC based off existing talent and my faith in the coaching staff to develop it. Not because overwhelming depth.

Anything could happen, but you can’t spend starter money on backups at every position. That’s just not realistic with the salary cap, you have to find and develop rookies.

You have no clue if Obiazor is any good, and you’ve already written off Muma as damaged goods even though there is zero evidence to support that. You don’t know how good or bad the other three UDFA ILB’s on the roster are.

All that is a choice by you and others. Most of you negative types taking this stance did next to no research on the backups… you looked at draft position. And that means nothing after the draft ends.

 

[Wozzy]

Agreed Wozzy great points. Having a bevy of talent is a wonderful problem for a team to have. Vrabel commitment to restocking the roster is apparent. Boutte is interesting because he still stands a chance at having a nice year provided he remains here. He would be the 3rd WR seeing favorable matchups up.. then next season he could see a nice contract somewhere. I still see potential of him remaining becuase injuries happen.

Barring injuries and assuming some young guy shows promise I think Boutte is gone, I think he’s redundant and there are better slot options available.

He wants to get paid, some team will suffer a WR injury or simply look thin by the end of
camp and need help. They’re better off giving those third WR snaps to Williams or Douglas and putting more speed on the field.

 

[p8ryts]

Barring injuries and assuming some young guy shows promise I think Boutte is gone, I think he’s redundant and there are better slot options available.

He wants to get paid, some team will suffer a WR injury or simply look thin by the end of
camp and need help. They’re better off giving those third WR snaps to Williams or Douglas and putting more speed on the field.

Despite my affection for Boutte, I agree.

 

[Real fan 02]

Barring injuries and assuming some young guy shows promise I think Boutte is gone, I think he’s redundant and there are better slot options available.

He wants to get paid, some team will suffer a WR injury or simply look thin by the end of
camp and need help. They’re better off giving those third WR snaps to Williams or Douglas and putting more speed on the field.

Good points. Williams would be the speed option and could really allow the down field passing attack to flourish. Really feel good about Williams he won't be asked to carry the offense he will still be featured and be able to feast on 3rd and 4th DBs.

 

[Family]

you’ve already written off Muma as damaged goods even though there is zero evidence to support that.

You just make things up as you go. I never wrote off Muma. What I said was that the position is thin if he is the first backup going into camp.

You have no clue if Obiazor is any good,. You don’t know how good or bad the other three UDFA ILB’s on the roster are.

Right but I know what the odds are that that Obiazor or the UFA's will be competent backups THIS year. Now you'll go into an explanation on how some rookie UFA was successful ten years ago.

Statistically you don't find a Ponder in camp every year, and even if there's one we don't know what position that will be.

 

[State]

Agree, but Henderson has to prove himself as a pass blocker this season, otherwise he’s still a liability.

I don't think that'll be the case this year. Henderson is the complete package. Plus, he's a home run hitter so to speak. Rookie troubles are behind him. You'll see.

 

[Wozzy]

You just make things up as you go. I never wrote off Muma. What I said was that the position is thin if he is the first backup going into camp.

A potential starter at middle LB in the future, potentially better than Spillane. Why is that bad depth?

Right but I know what the odds are that that Obiazor or the UFA's will be competent backups THIS year. Now you'll go into an explanation on how some rookie UFA was successful ten years ago.

Ten years ago… how many rookies contributed to last year’s AFC Championship roster?

I’ll answer…. a lot.

Statistically you don't find a Ponder in camp every year, and even if there's one we don't know what position that will be.

Statistically you find one in every draft class on average. Statistically UDFA’s make up a quarter of the league. We’re going to keep doing this dance until you allow that stat to sink in.

 

[Wozzy]

I don't think that'll be the case this year. Henderson is the complete package. Plus, he's a home run hitter so to speak. Rookie troubles are behind him. You'll see.

I’m hopeful, and can remember Rhamondre getting benched for pass blocking woes.

 

[Family]

A potential starter at middle LB in the future, potentially better than Spillane. Why is that bad depth?

Pretty much every player in every camp can be optimistically considered a potential future starter.

Statistically you find one in every draft class on average.

Again not true. There are statistically only 10-15 rookie UFA's each year who contribute at Ponder's level during their rookie season. Or one every 2 or 3 teams.

When will that sink in?

 

[Wozzy]

Pretty much every player in every camp can be optimistically considered a potential future starter.

Nah, Travis Shaw was a big stiff. He wasn’t athletic at all, or strong.

There’s a world of difference from picking an unathletic name out of a hat versus recognizing that one backup LB is extremely athletic, strong and was uber productive when he played.

Again not true. There are statistically only 10-15 rookie UFA's each year who contribute at Ponder's level during their rookie season. Or one every 2 or 3 teams.

When will that sink in?

We’ve already done this dance and you were wrong. You even admitted you didn’t know a quarter of the entire league was undrafted.

Roughly a quarter of last year’s rookie class who made and contributed to the 2025 Patriots were undrafted. Roughly a quarter of last year’s entire 2025 roster was made up of undrafted players. Roughly a quarter of the entire NFL is made up of UDFA’s.

And yeah, most teams on average have 7 draft picks for 7 rounds. Saying only 1-2 UDFA’s made the team is not a flex. It’s a quarter of the work force. A quarter is not an outlier. Undrafted players become contributors all the time.

 

[Family]

We’ve already done this dance and you were wrong. You even admitted you didn’t know a quarter of the entire league was undrafted.

Yes I admitted I didn't know a random fact. That's the difference between us. You never admit you are wrong, even though a huge percentage of your posts are incorrect.

And what does not knowing a quarter of the league was undrafted have to do with how many rookie UFA's have meaningful snaps a season? If you're not aware of this, does that mean you know nothing else about a subject?

ChatGPT

Roughly 10–15 undrafted rookie free agents across the entire NFL become genuine offensive or defensive contributors in their rookie season. These are players who play meaningful snaps similar to what the Patriots hoped to get from players like Ponder, not just special teams or a handful of late-game plays.

• 10–15 rookie UDFAs become meaningful offensive/defensive contributors.
• 3–6 become regular contributors or established starters as rookies.
• Very few become above-average starters immediately.