Page Turns to the NFL Combine
With the Super Bowl loss against the Seahawks now well in the rearview, the offseason is upon us, and the Patriots will be busy this week as the NFL Combine gets underway.
Both Executive Vice President of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf and head coach Mike Vrabel are expected to hit the podium this week to address the media, as the discussion now turns to both the draft and free agency.
This is obviously a key time of year as the intensity ramps up during the evaluation process. Both Wolf and Vrabel have spoken previously that one key part of the decision process is not just seeing players work out, but also having time to get to know some of them from a personal standpoint. This is an opportunity for them to conduct interviews with potential prospects to not only figure out how well they process information, but also to learn what type of person they are and get a feel for their mental toughness.
“There’s no test at the combine to measure heart, fortitude, and competitive spirit,” said Vrabel earlier this month. “They don’t have tests for those types of things. We have to put it upon ourselves, our coaching staff, our scouts, our personnel staff, to be able to identify the right type of people. You have to be talented, and you also have to have a certain makeup that when things are tough, which they are, they will be tough during the season, during the game, that we find a way to persevere.”
Those traits often end up being a deciding factor when Draft Day ultimately arrives, especially as they figure out if the commitment to the game matches their physical talents.
“The amount of information that we get here is just so tremendous,” said Wolf in 2024. “Not only the timing and testing, the measurements, the body types, the jumps, and all those things, but we get all the medical information. We get to meet with 45 guys formally and countless others informally. Talking to agents, getting information, talking to front office people on other teams, and scouts. The amount of information that we can accumulate in a week is awesome, and it’s really a credit to the city of Indianapolis, the way this thing’s set up, too, because everything is right here. It was 70 degrees out yesterday, but there’s no need to go outside here because everything’s just kind of connected. It’s still a really great resource for us.”
That process clearly served them well. Last year saw nearly every player from the 2025 Patriots Draft end up contributing during their incredible 14-3 season and subsequent playoff run. The hope is that 2026 will see another injection of youth to this roster, as the club has 11 draft picks heading into April’s Draft.
According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, Wolf is set to address reporters on Tuesday at 10:00 am, while Vrabel will speak to the media on Wednesday at 1:00 pm. Vrabel actually spoke twice last year, but it’s hard to say if that will happen this time around, as last year felt more like a courtesy given that it was his first season here in New England.
Patriots Draft Needs
Heading into the offseason, the Patriots certainly have some needs they’ll likely be looking to fill in April.
Among the positions, they may explore adding more depth at tackle, with tight end and receiver also being possible targets.
Vederian Lowe is set to be a free agent this offseason, and his potential departure is something that will definitely need to be addressed. Lowe filled in for rookie Will Campbell after the rookie suffered a knee injury in Week 12, and he was solid filling in until Campbell finally returned at the end of the season.
With so many teams in need of a starting-caliber tackle, Lowe was a luxury for the Patriots, and his performance will likely see another team offer both more money and opportunity than he might receive here.
That will certainly create quite the hole on New England’s depth chart. As it currently stands, the Patriots don’t have another viable left tackle on the roster, which leaves them dangerously thin should Campbell miss time again in 2026.
Morgan Moses will turn 35 on March 3rd, and while the club did a good job managing his workload throughout the season, he’s another player that they’re going to need to add depth behind. The club does have Caedan Wallace, who played right tackle at Penn State opposite Olu Fashanu. Wallace hasn’t been able to stay healthy and is likely heading into what could be a make-or-break year for the former Nittany Lion.
Marcus Bryant is another possible candidate at right tackle. He did see snaps on special teams this season and seemed to be developing, but he was seemingly pushed down the depth chart after Thayer Munford arrived and ended up inactive for the remainder of the season.
Linebacker and edge rusher could also be potential needs. Robert Spillane has proven to be a player who was key to New England’s defense, and his absence showed how thin they were, with Jack Gibbens having to step into that role. Gibbens improved down the stretch, but they absolutely need help there. Harold Landry was initially their best pass rusher to begin the season, but injuries hampered him.
Overall, New England finished the season 22nd in sacks with 35, but did manage to put together an NFL-best 13 during the postseason.
Both Gibbens and K’Lavon Chaisson are all in the final year of their contracts, although Chaisson hinted recently on social media that he may potentially be returning.
Other early needs could include trying to find an explosive target to develop at receiver, with Stefon Diggs’s future a little murky given his salary. Tight end is also a need, given the ages of both Hunter Henry (31) and Austin Hooper (31). Hooper is also a free agent this offseason.
Free agency could certainly impact the urgency at each spot, but this week will definitely be important as the process of building the 2026 team gets underway. As for who the Patriots could show interest in this week, Steve Balestrieri listed possible 2026 Patriots Prospects in his Sunday Column, as did Mark Morse during his Combine Preview last week.
Patriots Coaching Changes
Vrabel said earlier this month that just like with the players, there would be changes to the coaching staff and that’s certainly held true during the start of the offseason.
The Patriots have already seen some shuffling occur since the team returned from Santa Clara two weeks ago. The club promoted linebackers coach Zak Kuhr to defensive coordinator shortly after the season ended, which was clearly a reward following a tremendous year filling in for Terrell Williams. Williams spent most of the year during his battle with cancer, with the defensive coach reportedly spending some time in the building at various points throughout the season, but in a more reduced role.
He’s since been transitioned to a “high-ranking” role within the coaching staff, with the now cancer-free coach hopefully set to have a full season on the staff in 2026. Vinny DePalma, who was a defensive assistant in 2025, has reportedly been promoted to inside linebackers coach.
The Patriots also recently hired Southern Mississippi running backs coach B.J. Edmonds to an entry-level position on the staff, which is a nice reward after he spent time here last summer as an intern. That strikes a chord because Vrabel has talked about developing not only players but also coaches, and it’s clear that this holds a special meaning to him, especially given his own journey before he became a head coach.
Meanwhile, assistant offensive line coach Robert Kugler moved on earlier this month to Pittsburgh, joining the Steelers as a tight ends coach. He’s a holdover from Jerod Mayo’s staff, but was someone Vrabel praised quite a bit during last year.
The move to the Steelers also likely has some personal significance for Kugler. He’s a Pennsylvania native, and his father, Sean Kugler, previously coached the Steelers’ offensive line from 2010 to 2012.
Also moving on was defensive assistant Milton Patterson, with reports immediately after the season that he wouldn’t be returning. He previously worked with Vrabel and Williams in Tennessee as part of the NFL’s Bill Walsh Diversity Fellowship, and was among the names hired last January. Thus far, there hasn’t been any word of a potential landing spot.
Quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant was someone who was said to be of interest to teams, but Grant reportedly declined to interview for any offensive coordinator opportunities. That news came after the Raiders requested to speak with him, but Grant has instead decided to remain in New England.
That’s good news for Drake Maye, who will now head into his third year in 2026 with a little continuity with both Josh McDaniels and Grant in his corner for the second-straight season.
Support Us: Help Us Compete Against The Corporate Media Giants
We need your help. If you enjoy our content, please help us beat Google's Corporate algorithm by adding us as a preferred source on Google News.
Click the button below and check the box next to "PatsFans.com"
Add as a preferred source on Google News
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.
