CLEVELAND, Ohio — We have the 2025 Browns schedule, and now it’s time to look at what each of the teams they will play this season has changed ahead of the season.
I will provide these opponent breakdowns over the next several weeks leading up to the start of the season as we look at the biggest addition, subtraction, best draft pick and what they all mean for when they play the Browns.
Next up in our series is the Browns’ Week 8 opponent: the New England Patriots.
The Patriots were one of the NFL’s worst teams in 2024 at 4-13. But they might have found their franchise quarterback in that year’s third overall pick Drake Maye.
The challenge for New England this offseason has been to boost one of the league’s weakest rosters to give Maye support.
Could New England be poised to take a big step in 2025?
Here is a look at the Patriots offseason.
Check out links to earlier posts in this series at the bottom of this post.
Biggest addition: Mike Vrabel.
The Patriots added a lot of notable players in the offseason, including defensive linemen Harold Landry and Milton Williams, receiver Stefon Diggs and cornerback Carlton Davis.
But the biggest addition will be the man leading them from the sideline in Mike Vrabel.
While I thought Jerod Mayo got a rough deal as a one-and-done head coach last season, there’s no question about Vrabel’s pedigree as a head coach. He helped make the Tennessee Titans an AFC contender largely on the back of Derrick Henry and their defense.
Now we’ll see what he can do with a promising young quarterback leading the way.
Biggest subtraction: C David Andrews.
The Patriots didn’t lose many notable players this offseason. But one who they will have to replace is Andrews, who has been a mainstay of New England’s offensive line for the last decade.
He never made a Pro Bowl, but he started 121 of 124 games he played in a nine-year career and was a part of two Super Bowl championship teams.
Andrews played just four games in 2024 due to season-ending shoulder surgery.
NFL Draft Football
AP
Best draft pick: OL Will Campbell.
After not being able to get either Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter in the draft, the Patriots settled for the consensus top offensive lineman in the former LSU left tackle.
Campbell could potentially have to kick inside to guard because he has a shorter wingspan. But wherever he plays in the NFL, he has the talent to become a mainstay of an offensive line.
New England added some nice weapons for Maye including Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson and Washington State receiver Kyle Williams. But they needed to give their young quarterback some help up front, and Campbell should do that no matter where he plays.
What it means in their matchup with the Browns
The Patriots were one of the worst teams in football last season, but it had nothing to do with the quarterback, who did his part. Maye had very little talent around him outside of Rhamondre Stevenson.
So fixing that was a massive priority for New England, and it appears on paper it has done that. Add in the expected leap he should take in his second season and the Patriots have a chance to be a surprise in the AFC.
This game could also be a sneaky tough test for the Browns when you combine Mike Vrabel’s coaching mentality with the running back combo of Stevenson and Henderson. The Patriots were 13th in the NFL in total rushing and yards per carry (4.4) in 2024. Adding Vrabel, Henderson and Campbell among others should only make their running game even better.
This will be the last game for the Browns before their bye week and while on paper it might be the easiest game of the first half of their season, by no means will it be an easy win, especially on the road. The Patriots feel like a team that could be on the rise, and this could be a tougher game than most expect.
Catch up on the series
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