The departure of Jabrill Peppers<\/strong> remains fairly shocking, primarily because of his experience and what he brought to the locker room.\u00a0 This one goes down as a similar situation that we saw back in 2003<\/strong> <\/a>when Lawyer Milloy<\/strong> was released, albeit it’s certainly a little different.<\/p>\n In Peppers’ case, he was a guy who was seemingly well liked, while Milloy’s ties ran deeper and he was definitely more beloved by the majority of that unit.\u00a0 But it’s similar in that like Milloy, Peppers was a tone-setter and there aren’t yet many vocal leaders on that side of the football.\u00a0 They don’t have a Rodney Harrison<\/strong>-type of guy right now to fill the void, or at least it doesn’t feel like it.<\/p>\n Third-year cornerback Christian Gonzalez<\/strong> is more of a quiet “lead by example” type of player, and aside from him, New England really doesn’t currently have anyone in the secondary that is quite at the level to step into that role.<\/p>\n From a football standpoint, that seems to be the bigger issue.\u00a0 Reports said that heading into last week’s practices, Peppers dropped down the depth chart, with the veteran getting some work with the second unit.\u00a0 It’s not known whether or not that sparked an issue, or if there was something else behind it.\u00a0 \u00a0By all accounts, nothing off the field seems to have been a factor, so this one definitely feels more football-related than anything else.<\/p>\n Mike Reiss of ESPN reported in his Sunday column that the club did have trade discussions around the league for Peppers<\/strong><\/a>, but it sounds like they weren’t overly aggressive during that process.\u00a0 Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald also reported in a recent podcast<\/strong><\/a> that a league executive texted him “definitely not about on the field at this point, something must have happened or has been happening.”<\/p>\n That assessment essentially makes you wonder if there wasn’t some sort of verbal exchange, which could have been related to a potential role change.\u00a0 Reiss writes that like\u00a0Kyle Dugger<\/strong>, Peppers’ strength is playing downhill and not necessarily in coverage.\u00a0 It’s also possible that may have been the reason he was out there in the finale against the Giants, as well as why Mike Vrabel<\/strong> wanted to get a look at him out there with rookie\u00a0Craig Woodson<\/strong> this preseason to see if it’s a role Peppers could handle.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, no,” said Vrabel after last week’s game<\/strong><\/a> when asked if there was something else behind Peppers seeing so much time on the field.\u00a0 “Just, again, we got to have 11 out there, but wanted to see him play with Craig [Woodson] alongside. He\u2019s played a couple\u2026 Pep\u2019s played a couple of different spots and wanted to just see him play safety alongside Craig.”<\/p>\n “I know he\u2019s played some in nickel. He\u2019s played some in the box on third down. He\u2019s played some different places. Really where we, tonight, wanted to see him was alongside Craig, playing safety exclusively.\u201d<\/p>\n For now, it’s definitely a group with some questions.\u00a0 With Peppers gone, the club still at least has a veteran in Kyle Dugger<\/strong> as part of that unit to give them an experienced veteran.\u00a0 But after that it’s Jaylinn Hawkins\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Dell Pettus<\/strong>, with special teamer Brenden Schooler\u00a0<\/strong>available if he’s needed.<\/p>\n Not ideal, and certainly concerning.\u00a0 However, as we’ve seen, some of the best seasons with this team have come after some difficult roster decisions.\u00a0 Hopefully, with Vrabel now the one setting the tone, his players respond in kind.<\/p>\n 2) Offensive Line Depth a question:<\/strong> The Patriots still have significant questions up front, with this group getting its first test on Sunday as the club finally kicks off the 2025 season.<\/p>\n All eyes will be on rookie Will Campbell<\/strong>, who has the key responsibility of protecting\u00a0Drake Maye<\/strong> as the rookie left tackle begins his NFL career.<\/p>\n Staying healthy is going to be big for the former LSU standout, as the team doesn’t have much of an answer behind him.\u00a0 Last year’s starter,\u00a0Vederian Lowe<\/strong>, is back on the active roster after seeing time both at left and right tackle this preseason, with rookie\u00a0Marcus Bryant<\/strong> also getting some work on both sides.\u00a0 Lowe has shown he can start, but we’ve already seen the results.\u00a0 He’s good to step in for a game or two, but definitely not someone you want out there much more that that.<\/p>\n Last year’s third-round pick,\u00a0Caedan Wallace<\/strong>, is another big question mark.\u00a0 He’s moved from being a potential tackle to being in the mix in the left guard competition.\u00a0 He seems to have fallen out of that race and the team still has him listed as a tackle.<\/p>\n Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal said during a recent Q & A that when it comes to Wallace, the level of play is there, but his commitment to the game seems to be the biggest question.<\/p>\n “He has first-round talent, but his love of football and his toughness is very much in question,” said Bedard<\/strong><\/a>. “Too much talent to not give more time.”<\/p>\n At left guard, it had been rookie Jared Wilson<\/strong> and Wallace in the mix, with\u00a0Cole Strange<\/strong> and Ben Brown<\/strong> also getting some looks.\u00a0 Strange is gone and he’s since landed with the Browns, but that position is now a big question mark heading into this week.<\/p>\n Garrett Bradbury\u00a0<\/strong>had a shaky preseason at center, so it’s tough to feel overly confident there.\u00a0 But after that, it’s\u00a0Mike Onwenu\u00a0<\/strong>at right guard, with\u00a0Morgan Moses\u00a0<\/strong>anchoring the right side in what should be a tough match-up against the Raiders’\u00a0Maxx Crosby<\/strong> this weekend.<\/p>\n The team did recently add veteran tackle Thayer Munford<\/strong> to its practice squad.\u00a0 Munford saw four starts as a rookie in 2022, which included time at right tackle as well as an extra tackle on the left.\u00a0 He also saw even more time in 2023.\u00a0 He provides some additional depth behind Moses and could also give them someone to use as an additional blocker alongside Campbell, which we saw the Patriots do at times during Mac Jones\u00a0<\/strong>rookie year.<\/p>\n Either way, the margin for error certainly feels a little slim, and Sunday’s opener should absolutely be a good test for this group.<\/p>\n 3) Wolf’s Future in question?:<\/strong> Executive Vice President of Player personnel Eliot Wolf’s name has been discussed quite a bit in recent weeks, especially given how things played out with the majority of its 2024 Patriots draft <\/strong><\/a>class this preseason.<\/p>\n Most of that criticism has come following the swing-and-miss for\u00a0Ja’Lynn Polk<\/strong>, who will forever be compared to\u00a0Ladd McConkey<\/strong>.\u00a0 He’s a name who was there for the taking and the campaign the now Chargers wideout had has frustrated fans ever since.<\/p>\n It didn’t help that Polk again had a rough camp this year coming off an offseason procedure, and an injury essentially ended his sophomore campaign before any real evaluation could be made.\u00a0 After what we’ve seen, the odds are probably good he might not have survived the cutdowns, and his future is in question.<\/p>\n Aside from Polk, there have been – at least so far – just two other players from that class who did ultimately end up not panning out. Both Layden Robinson<\/strong> and Jaheim Bell<\/strong> were the two who were let go outright, while\u00a0Javon Baker<\/strong> was a project who Vrabel has supported all summer. Baker would likely even still be here, but he seemed frustrated to be sent back down to the practice squad one day after being placed on the 53. He instead opted to join the Eagles’ practice squad, and it remains to be seen if he’ll end up regretting it<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n Wallace’s future feels a little uncertain, and Marcellus Dial<\/strong> had a solid rookie campaign on special teams and looked poised to earn a role in the secondary after a promising preseason.\u00a0 Unfortunately, an injury ended that run and he’s now on IR, but he potentially might have ended up on the 53.<\/p>\n As a result, last year’s draft wasn’t necessarily a disaster, but Polk’s selection over McConkey is what turned the overall perception for fans for that group when it comes to Wolf.\u00a0 The writing is probably on the wall for Polk, who will likely need a miracle about-face in 2026 to change that.\u00a0 Missing on him played a big role in their woes on offense last year, and that one will certainly be talked about for years to come.<\/p>\n As for Wolf, he’s probably facing a tough road.\u00a0 Despite him repeatedly saying he’s the one who does have “final say” when it comes to the players, he’s tried to make it clear that part of his role doesn’t matter.\u00a0 He’s emphasized on more than one occasion that it’s more important to have Vrabel as the one to make the decisions, with Ryan Cowden<\/strong> and\u00a0John Streicher<\/strong> clearly involved in helping Vrabel make that call.<\/p>\n Greg Bedard has probably said it best.\u00a0 Wolf’s strength has been when he’s able to be hands-on outside the building and managing the scouting department.\u00a0 But when it comes to making the final call, it’s really up to Vrabel and his staff to take the information Wolf and his staff have helped provide and then choose the player.<\/p>\n Bedard said that Wolf not being able to be out working during Jerod Mayo’s <\/strong>first year as a coach was an issue.<\/p>\n “Wolf couldn’t go to any all-star games last year, especially the Senior Bowl (where he was this year with Vrabel), because he was holding Mayo’s hand putting together a coaching staff,” wrote Bedard<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n “Wolf is NOT IN CHARGE,” he added.\u00a0 “It’s over. It’s moot. He organizes the scouting staff, that’s it.”<\/p>\n How Wallace and Dial ultimately pan out will give us the last bit of context on last year’s class, and Wolf’s future will probably hinge on how much influence and data he provided during this year’s draft.\u00a0 If he played a big role in helping Vrabel and Cowden put this year’s group together, maybe that will help his cause.<\/p>\n However, Callahan also added during his podcast that the question when it comes to Wolf is a very real thing.\u00a0 While both Vrabel and Cowden have spoken highly of Wolf to this point, it’s hard not to wonder what the future holds for him by the time next spring gets here.<\/p>\n “There was an executive in the league who raised this idea to me about, again, cleaning out all the [Bill] Belichick and Mayo guys,” said Callahan regarding Peppers.\u00a0 He said, ‘No, I think this is about the Wolf guys. Wolf himself might be next,’ which is, of course, speculation. This person does not know, doesn’t seem to have talked to Mike Vrabel about this.”<\/p>\n “But there are plenty of grounds and reasons to get rid of Eliot Wolf at this point, especially as Mike Vrabel goes into year two, not the least of which is Ryan Cowden is waiting right behind him, as we know, as his number two.”<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/USATSI_19073796_168390408_lowres-450x300.jpg\")
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<\/p>\n![\"Eliot](\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/USATSI_25658462_168390408_lowres-450x300.jpg\")
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