Tuesday Patriots Notebook 2/24: Wolf Calls Tackle Report “Not True,” Confirms Major Need
Wolf Debunks Tackle Rumors, Confirms O-Line Need
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With the offseason underway, this is the time of year when we usually hear plenty of whispers and speculation, which tends to be fairly common leading up to the start of free agency.
One rumor that hit this week came from NFL analyst Jason LaCanfora, who speculated that the Patriots are among the teams eyeing Packers free agent left tackle Rasheed Walker.
The report indicated in the title New England was “eying” Walker, but the actual report from LaCanfora indicated that one NFL GM – and not the Patriots themselves – believed the team was a potential suitor for Walker, while speculating that rookie Will Campbell might be moved to right tackle if it indeed came to fruition.
Still, that report gained some steam, and Executive Vice President of Personnel Eliot Wolf heard about it, with Wolf shooting that idea down on Tuesday.
“I saw that report, and it’s not true,” said Wolf. “He’s under contract with the Packers right now. The two teams that were linked with that particular player both drafted left tackles in the first round last year, so I’m not sure how accurate that would be.”
Head coach Mike Vrabel already shot down any notion of a change for Campbell in 2026 during his press conference two weeks ago.
“When you sign up to play left tackle, you sign up to play corner, you sign up to play quarterback, you sign up to be the head coach, you get judged, you get scrutinized,” said Vrabel. “Will is 22 years old. He’s our left tackle. He’ll get better, he’ll get stronger.”
“There’s plays he’d like to have back. We’re not moving Will to guard or to center or to tight end or anywhere else. I don’t know what to tell you.”
Meanwhile, Wolf was asked if he considered tackle a need this offseason, and it sounds like improving their depth there in general will be something they’ll be taking a look at.
Wolf noted that they have two guys hitting free agency, while another isn’t a long term answer given his age, so it’s definitely something they’re going to try and address this offseason.
“Vederian [Lowe] is a free agent, Thayer [Munford] is a free agent, and Morgan [Moses] is 35 years old,” said Wolf. “He played awesome this year, but he’s 35 years old, so tackle would be a need for our team.”
One bit of good news was the fact that it sounds like they’ll at least have Moses back for one more season. Wolf said he’s been given no reason to believe Moses won’t be with the team in 2026, which, for now, is at least one less concern.
“I am under that impression, yes,” said Wolf when asked if Moses is ‘definitely coming back next year.’ “I haven’t heard anything otherwise. He was so great for us, not only on the field, but off the field, setting the tempo in that room. I definitely think he enjoyed it. He played every game, so that was a testament to his durability and toughness.”
There was some surprising news on Monday, with the Patriots announcing they released running back Antonio Gibson.
Gibson, who suffered a season-ending knee injury back in Week five in Buffalo, had been off to a great start, with Gibson being a force in the return game on kickoffs.
He had an incredible 90-yard return for a touchdown against the Dolphins in Week 2, and had rushed 25 times for 106 yards (4.2 yards per carry) along with a touchdown prior to getting hurt.
Most of his playing time had come at the expense of rookie TreVeyon Henderson, who the team seemed to be trying to work into the offense during the early portion of the season. From there, both Terrell Jennings and D’Ernest Johnson were the players they were forced to turn to in Gibson’s absence.
Patriots salary cap expert Miguel Benzan reported that the move frees up $2.135 in cap space, while setting the current Patriots roster to 63 players who are under contract ahead of free agency.
Wolf was asked whether or not he expected to have Harold Landry back in 2026. “First and foremost, he’s got to try and get healthy,” said Wolf. “Again, another culture guy that came in and really was able to deliver and act upon Coach Vrabel’s messaging to the defense. So yeah, we would expect him back.” … Wolf was also asked about the difference in selecting players who had already experienced some level of a payday thanks to the money given out in NIL deals in college, while still trying to find guys who have that ‘hunger’ as they move on to the NFL. “I think you can look at that in two different ways,” explained Wolf. “On one hand, maybe they’re coming in a little bit more entitled, but on the other hand, they’re coming in more prepared from a business standpoint. They’ve had money. They know what it’s like. They know some financial literacy and understanding the trials and tribulations that come with that. So I think it’s a double-edged sword. It’s like anything, you just have to be able to adjust, and every person can be different.” … Wolf was asked if the Super Bowl run changed his view of the roster in terms of its’ ‘arc’, but he praised his players and admitted there’s still work to be done. “I’m really proud of our players. Again, they bought in quickly. They figured out how to win,” said Wolf. “But I think everyone on the roster is aware that we still need some pieces, and we’re going to create as much competition as we possibly can.” … When asked if he’s had any conversations to the current group of players they have headed to free agency, Wolf said that some of that has taken place. “I’m not going to get into any specific details on any free agents for our team and obviously for other teams,” said Wolf. “But we have had conversations, and we had good exit meetings with those guys, and I think they understand where we’re at.” … One of those players will be Christian Gonzalez, who is expected to receive a sizable extension this offseason. Wolf expressed their desire to see him stick around on Tuesday. “Christian, obviously, was good before and made an even more significant jump this year. And he’s someone that we want to we want to work with in the future, obviously. And we’ll have those conversations at the appropriate time.” … When asked if he was satisfied with Drake Maye’s year two growth, Wolf expressed just how pleased he was with what he saw from the young QB. “Satisfied is a tremendous understatement,” said Wolf. “Drake made a ton of progress in a lot of areas, not only at the start of the season but throughout the season. I think people forget that he’s 23 years old, and there’s been a lot on his shoulders, and there will continue to be with the expectation that it has being a quarterback for the New England Patriots.” … He was also asked about rookie wideout Kyle Williams, who Wolf said needed to get stronger and it sounds like he might have a bigger role next season. “Kyle played in every game. He was available. The way we used him was as more of a speed player, which he definitely has. But I think he’s got more in him that he could show,” said Wolf. “He’s got to get stronger. I think he’d be the first one to tell you that. But the fact that he was able to play in, I think all 21 games for us, was a testament to his ability to be available.”
No, Executive Vice President of Personnel Eliot Wolf stated the report linking the Patriots to Packers tackle Rasheed Walker is 'not true,' noting Walker is under contract and both linked teams drafted left tackles last year.
The Patriots released running back Antonio Gibson, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week five of the 2025 season. The move frees up $2.135 million in cap space and sets the roster to 63 players.
Yes, Eliot Wolf confirmed tackle is a need, citing Vederian Lowe and Thayer Munford hitting free agency, and Morgan Moses being 35 years old. He expects Moses back for one more season.
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