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There has been a surprising amount of time spent talking about the power structure in the Patriots personnel department here in New England this offseason, but Mike Vrabel essentially made one thing clear on Tuesday.
He’s ultimately the one who will make the decisions when it comes to the Patriots roster moving forward.
Vrabel said on Tuesday that part of his decision to become the next New England Patriots head coach centered on his ability to put together the roster he would be coaching.
“Well, I wouldn’t be here, and I wouldn’t have wanted to be the head coach here if I wasn’t comfortable in my impact on the roster,” said Vrabel. “We want to continue to have great conversations with the personnel staff, with me, with Stretch [John Streicher], with coaching. We’re all just trying to find ways to bring the right players in here, whether that’s first part of free agency, middle free agency like we talked about, or the draft, or there’s going to be players who get released that we’ll have to pivot to and have options.”
“So again, we need to strengthen the roster. We understand that. And again, have some really good conversations about how we get there.”
Granted, it’s not a dictatorship. Vrabel isn’t wielding his power and challenging the guys around him. Nor is he discounting the people who are putting in the work when it comes to player evaluations or those working behind the scenes.
The collaboration approach that existed with Jerod Mayo remains, but this time around, it’s coming from a different place. It’s an organized process, with Vrabel relying on the people within the front office to run things, while looking for players who fit what they’re hoping to do in 2025.
Having added personnel executive Ryan Cowden, who is working under but with Wolf this offseason, Vrabel has added to that power structure. In Cowden, it’s someone Vrabel has a history with given their time in Tennessee, and he’s comfortable in what he brings.
“I believe in what Ryan can do and the impact that he can make with our organization, with personnel, to help Eliot [Wolf] and that crew, and just try to help us get the right players in here,” said Vrabel when asked about Cowden’s role Tuesday.
Based on a recent report by Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston, Cowden was not down in Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine to begin the week. However, Mike Giardi of Boston Sports Journal reported on Tuesday that Cowden was on hand as Vrabel spoke to reporters, joining Wolf and Vrabel to get a look at and talk to various players as they begin their evaluations.
But overall, there’s a sense of trust that seems to exist, and every time he speaks, Vrabel has made it clear they’re all on the same page.
Heading into free agency, it’s likely going to be challenging. Everyone wants that top-flight wide receiver, but with Tee Higgins potentially being franchised and other things at play, it may end up being a limited group that becomes available. Factor in how competitive things will likely be, and it’s tough to say whether or not New England will be able to land one of those players. There are also several big name offensive tackles available, with the Ravens Ronnie Stanley or Los Angeles’ Alaric Jackson being a couple of names mentioned.
Still, anyone wondering if the Patriots will refrain from opening up the checkbook and make a significant attempt can at least rest easy knowing that Vrabel’s not afraid to overspend if that’s what it takes.
“I like to shop like everybody else. When you go and there’s only one of a certain car, maybe you have to pay a little bit more for that one car because there’s only one of them,” said Vrabel. “When you start to get into a range where you feel like there’s an area where players are comparable and you like three or four players in a certain area for a certain role, you may not have to overspend. But it’s free agency. I think that everybody overspends sometimes in free agency.”
But while he’ll be guiding the ship, Vrabel also made it clear that his entire staff will be part of the process. There’s a lot of work to be done, and it will be an effort that’s going to take everyone, with the goal being to put together a group that will hopefully be more competitive than the one we’ve watched the last two seasons.
“I want them to be included in those conversations,” said Vrabel of his coaching staff’s involvement this offseason. “The one thing I’ve learned as a head coach is that there’s always going to be players that coaches are going to covet, and there’s going to be players that scouts are going to covet for certain reasons, and they call them traits and all this other stuff.”
“Coaches want players that they can trust. When we come across those players, I always chuckle because, being a position coach, I’m like, ‘Oh, yeah, this guy is going to love this guy,’ and then ‘the scouts are going to love this guy,’ and then they’re going to sit there and argue. So I see that come up, and I can appreciate that. But our coaches are going to have input.”
“They’re going to evaluate them. They’ve evaluated the free agents. They’ve turned the reports in for us to look at and review, and then we’ll give them a draft list, and then they’ll provide information on those players as well.”
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