Some Patriots news and notes on this Tuesday:
1) Patriots were never in on Parsons: Another detail Vrabel admitted during his appearance on WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show on Tuesday was that the Patriots were never in the running for Dallas Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons.
Vrabel hinted that rather than going out and paying a steep price for Parsons, the team is instead focusing on drafting better and building its own nucleus of players.
“I think we just have to be very smart on building this thing, and I hope that everybody else sees it the same way outside of here,” said Vrabel. “We want to bring in players that feel like give us the best chance, but also we have to build some depth there to this roster, and to do that from the draft.”
“It hasn’t been, we’ll call it what it is, it hasn’t been real great. The depth of the roster has not been, through our draft the last handful of years, and that has to change. We all know that. We’ll focus on that when we get there in April. Right now, it’s putting guys in roles that have some versatility and building the game-day roster and all these different things. But I think the best teams in the league draft well. They develop their players, they resign them, and then they carefully choose the players that they want to add in free agency.”
When asked if Vrabel was suggesting the bad drafts precluded them from trading first-round picks because they need those, Vrabel simply added that it’s more of just trying to build the team the right way.
“No, I was just saying that when we build this thing and moving forward, we want to build it and make sure that we’re building through the draft,” said Vrabel. “Then again, like I said, retaining the players that we feel like have developed and have earned contracts. While Micah Parsons is a great player, just probably wasn’t the best fit or the right time, I think, for us.”
2) Vrabel speaks on Peppers: During his press conference on Monday, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel clarified the situation surrounding former safety Jabrill Peppers, who was released over the weekend.
A lot still isn’t known when it comes to the reasons behind the veteran’s release, but Vrabel said it simply came down to being a move he felt was best for his football team.
“There’s a lot of things that go into these decisions, and they’re never easy,” explained Vrabel. “We’re just trying to get it right collectively. Again, I know that there’s a personal side and professional side. I talked about that with the players this morning. Whether you agree with it or disagree with it, just try to respect it and move forward and continue to build a team, continue to build a program and I know Jabrill will do good things in this league and outside of the field as well. He’s a passionate player, and again, got a lot of respect for him.”
The majority of reports indicated that there wasn’t an event off the field that caused the two sides to part ways, and there’s been some speculation about whether or not it might have come down to a scheme fit. However, Vrabel added that Peppers’ fit within the defense also wasn’t the reason.
“No, I don’t think that was certainly not the issue,” said Vrabel. “There’s a lot of reasons. I wouldn’t say that’s … We’re going to try to do what’s best for the team. We got a lot of different schemes that we can run in all three phases, special teams, offense, and defense. There’s a lot that goes into it. Again, we’re just trying to build towards Sunday here, and that’s our focus. Again, that’s the decision that we had to make. Again, wish the best for Jabrill.”
3) Gonzalez Status For Sunday in Question: Cornerback Christian Gonzalez didn’t practice on Monday, which puts his status for Sunday up in the air.
However, the bigger question will be whether or not he’s out there tomorrow, with Wednesday typically being the normal initial prep day for that week’s upcoming opponent throughout the NFL season. Monday is normally a review and treatment day for players before their off day on Tuesday, and then teams usually start practicing for their upcoming opponent on Wednesday.
That schedule gets altered for Thursday night games, but otherwise, that’s normally the routine players get into throughout the NFL’s regular season.
For now, Vrabel said the third-year defensive back is trying to get healthy, and while it’s frustrating for Gonzalez, the goal is to continue to be smart about his recovery.
“He’s working hard and trying to improve, and he wants to be out there,” said Vrabel. “I think this is good for us and for Christian, and the team is trying not to be frustrated. Obviously, those things happen, and it’s how we respond to them. It’s how hard we work to get back, the communication, all the things that he’s doing. Just continue to work hard to get back and try to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to help him.”
As Gonzalez has been out, it’s offered up some additional opportunities for other players, with Vrabel praising guys like DJ James for stepping up and taking advantage of the additional reps.
“Well, I mean, I think DJ [James] was one of our more improved players over the course of rookie Mini Camp, which is he participated in that as a veteran that had the ability to participate in that till now,” said Vrabel. “Double A [Alex Austin] has done a nice job of going out there and playing corner or playing nickel. Marcus [Jones] provides a lot of leadership in there. It’s been good to have CD [Carlton Davis] string some days together.”
“It provides opportunity for other guys, and we’d love to have Gonzo back. Trust me, we would. But I think the other guys have stepped up and tried to take advantage of the opportunity.”
4) Patriots Name Captains: New England officially announced their captains on Monday, with this group looking quite different from what we saw at this time last year.
Quarterback Drake Maye, linebackers Robert Spillane and Harold Landry, tight end Hunter Henry, defensive back Marcus Jones, and special teamer Brenden Schooler each earned the “C” patch they’ll each be wearing, rounding out a group of six players for the 2025 Patriots season.
The team will also have a weekly vote on a seventh for each game, with K’Lavon Chaisson earning that honor ahead of Sunday’s contest vs Las Vegas.
Vrabel praised Jones for his leadership during his press conference on Monday, which shows how much the fourth-year defensive back has grown during his tenure here.
The club has essentially moved on from nearly all the previous captains, which Vrabel was again asked about on Tuesday when it came to whether or not there was anything intentional about that.
“Somebody asked me that yesterday, and I don’t think anybody else has been intentional on that or with that,” said Vrabel. “I can see that’s kind of how things go when there’s change and there’s turnover. Some of those players were free agents. Some of those players we’ve moved on from in the offseason, some of them have been currently, but that was never anyone’s intent.”
“We’re just trying to build the position groups and build the team and try to figure out what we need. Leadership, I think, will always continue to grow and evolve. I hope that we have many more leaders than just the six that were named captain.”
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
