Mike Vrabel’s first preseason as Patriots head coach will begin with two rounds of joint practices.
Vrabel confirmed Tuesday that New England will host the Washington Commanders for joint practices ahead of the teams’ preseason opener on Friday, Aug. 8 at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots then will practice against the Minnesota Vikings before their exhibition game at US Bank Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 16.
Those practices will feature three of the first five quarterbacks selected in last year’s NFL draft: Washington’s Jayden Daniels (No. 2 overall), New England’s Drake Maye (No. 3) and Minnesota’s J.J. McCarthy (No. 10).
“I think for sure that the Washington Commanders will come here and then they’ll play us, and we are excited to go to Minnesota,” Vrabel said. “It’s a good setup that they have, allows for great work. Kevin (O’Connell)’s got a — the Vikings have a great football team, and I’ve worked with them before. So I’m excited to go back up there.”
Vrabel and O’Connell previously linked up for joint practices in 2023, ahead of the former’s final season as head coach of the Tennessee Titans. The Patriots have held at least one week of joint practices in every preseason since 2020, most recently hosting the Philadelphia Eagles last summer.
New England will close out its preseason slate at the New York Giants on Thursday, April 21, before welcoming the Las Vegas Raiders to Gillette Stadium in Week 1.