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Patriots News 3-23, Team Building 101, What About Bentley?

Good morning. Here are your Patriots news 3-23 and notes for this week. Mike Vrabel is building a team in his image, which is the team he wants to coach this season. In his introductory press conference, Vrabel told us that the roster we were looking at in January wouldn’t be the same team we see in August, which is undoubtedly coming true already.

Vrable is doing what we thought they would do a few years ago: tear it down to the studs and rebuild the whole thing. This is Team Building 101 stuff. The Patriots will be missing a lot of familiar faces, veterans who were important players for the franchise.

Deatrich Wise, Jonathan Jones, David Andrews, Davon Godchaux, Daniel Ekuale, Jacoby Brissett. Most don’t fit the type of player they seek with the new regime. And it is only in March; there will be more. It doesn’t mean that they are bad players or bad guys in the locker room.

Vrabel and his coaching staff are going to change the Patriots’ football style, especially defensively. Later below, we’ll get into more detail about the changes that happened and what changes are coming.

Quick Hitters For the Patriots and NFL News:

Kenneth Sims:a former first-round, first-overall draft pick of the Patriots in 1982, has passed away at the age of 65. Sims was never able to parlay his draft position into production on the field as injuries plagued him, limiting him to just 74 career games.

His best season came in 1985, where he had 5.5 sacks in 13 games before breaking his leg late in the year and missing the Patriots Super Bowl run. He played in 74 games over eight seasons, with 64 starts, and had 17 sacks.

**Patriots Release Four:**The Patriots announced that they have released four players. On Friday afternoon, LB Curtis Jacobs, T Caleb Jones, LB Andrew Parker Jr., and C Lecitus Smith were all let go.

Jacobs was plucked off the waiver wire from Kansas City in September. Last season, he played in nine games with two starts and finished with one tackle on defense and three special teams tackles. Jacobs was placed on injured reserve on Nov. 19.

Jones is a massive 6’9, 370-pound offensive tackle who was signed to the practice squad in September after being released by Green Bay.

The Patriots signed Parker to the practice squad on Dec. 2, 2024. New England signed Smith to the 53-man roster from the Green Bay practice squad on Oct. 15, 2024. He appeared in nine games with one start.

Patriots 4th & 2 Podcast: Derek and I discussed free agency and the QBs, RBs, and WRs in the draft. Please check us out and listen to us on YouTube,Apple, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Russ Francis/Chuck Fairbanks: The former Patriot tight end and head coach should be in the Patriots team Hall of Fame, and the fact that Francis isn’t is an absolute travesty. Francis and the Raiders’ Dave Casper changed how teams used the tight end position. This will be displayed in our Sunday posts until it happens. Casper is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Francis’ numbers stand up well against Casper’s, yet he isn’t even in the team’s HOF.

Team Building 101 cont’d:

Stefon Diggs: I don’t understand why fans were up in arms about Diggs leaving without signing a contract. That was never in the plans. Diggs said that he would visit with several teams before making a decision. And he will.

The rumors of “one and $16 (million) will get it done ” are doubtful regarding his contract. Diggs has been a prolific receiver in his career, earning one last big contract. He’s not going to sign a one-year, prove-it type of deal. If they offered that, New England would be out of the running for him.

If you’re wondering how his rehab is going and if he won’t be available until mid-to-late October, check out thisrehab videohe posted. He’s not 100 percent for sure, but he looks ahead of schedule.

The Winds of Change: To quote the Scorpions here seems appropriate. There are big-time changes afoot in Foxboro, which may be long overdue. They’ve cut loose several veterans and signed 13 players (so far) in free agency. Then there is the upcoming draft, which will be a very important one.

Mike Vrabel and the coaching staff have let many established veterans go, and they are probably far from done. What moves could be upcoming?

I really like the defensive line, but it is a BIG if Christian Barmore’s health issues (blood clots) are behind him. He andMilton Williamswill be an outstanding tandem.

With the linebacking core, the team has added some excellent talent. The feeling here is thatRobert Spillane will be a bigger addition to the defense than many believe. The Patriots paid him very well; they didn’t sign him as a backup. So, he is your Day 1 Middle Line Backer.

Where does that leaveJa’Whaun Bentley? We expect Tyrell Williams to play a more aggressive four-man front. With Spillane at MLB, I could see a scenario where Bentley or Jalani Tavai are gone this season, possibly both. They don’t really fit the attacking style fast defense that the team is installing. Bentley, however, isn’t leaving things to chance. He is reportedly down from his normal 250-pound playing weight to 230 to improve his chances of fitting in.

The inside linebacker room is getting crowded, with Spillane, Bentley, Tavai, Christian Elliss, Curtis Jacobs, and Monty Rice. Elliss signed an offer sheet for the Raiders, and the Patriots have until tomorrow to match, or he’s gone. The team also signed another former Titans linebacker,Jack Gibbens, this week.

At OLB/Edge the team improved by takingHarold Landry in free agency, he and Anfernee Jennings are outstanding at setting the edge. Landry and Keion White will be the pass rushers withKLavon Chaisson, Titus Leo, and Truman Jones as back ups. The top four are fine, but they could use some help from the draft.

With the additions ofCarlton Davis andMarcus Epps, the secondary seems pretty settled. Davis and Christian Gonzalez give the Patriots one of the best starting CB tandems in the league. I’m curious if the Patriots keep Marte Mapu at safety or use him as a linebacker. I’d try to add one more CB in free agency or in the draft for depth, but I like what they have.

Offensively, the team is set at QB unless they trade Joe Milton, and I wouldn’t do that unless someone blows me away with a trade offer. He has excellent potential and is great insurance in the event Maye gets hurt.

They need to add some running back depth, and running back is a sneaky need. Rhamondre Stevenson is talented, and the coaching staff knows this, but they also know about his fumbling issues. Antonio Gibson was underused badly last year, especially in the passing game. Terrell Jennings is depth. Depending on how the board plays out between Rds 2-5, I’d put a premium on adding a running back. The draft is full of good ones this season.

Wide Receiver is… still a big issue. I really like the addition ofMack Hollins and believe that he’s going to be fine, but they need a minimum of one, preferably two, talented receivers. Kendrick Bourne should be back to his normal self a year after his ACL surgery.

Demario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, Ja’Lynn Polk, Javon Baker-, JaQuae Jackson, and John Jiles round out the WR room. It isn’t enough. They need help. Even if they sign Diggs, I’d draft a WR in Rds 1-2.

Tight End is set for 2025 with Hunter Henry and bringing Austin Hooper back. Jaheim Bell, Giovanni Ricci, and Jack Westover are the depth guys. This season’s draft is deep in Tight Endage (thank you, Clare), and they should look to draft one because Henry and Hooper are getting long in the tooth a bit. They could draft a future starter this year.

Last but not least, the Offensive Line desperately needs a Left Tackle. The team signed Morgan Moses as the new right tackle, and he will be fine both on and off the field. He’s a leader. The Patriots also signed center Garrett Bradbury after the Vikings released him. The right guard slot is filled with Mike Onwenu. That leaves the left side, left guard and left tackle.

They tried to get Ronnie Stanley, but he opted to stay in Baltimore. I’ve been beating the bushes for the Patriots to sign Tyron Smith as a veteran stop-gap measure and then draft a tackle in either Round 1-2 in April.

Smith will provide that veteran presence and stability until the rookie is ready to assume the job as a left tackle in the NFL. He’s on the downside of his career but can still play at a high level. The Patriots can not, should not enter the season with Vederian Lowe as the starting left tackle.

LT Vederian Lowe, LG Cole Strange, OT Caedan Wallace, G/C Wes Schweitzer, G Layden Robinson, C Ben Brown, OT Demontrey Jacobs, G Sidy Sow, C Jake Andrews, and G Tyrese Robinson round out the positions on the OL. Left guard at this point is wide open for competition. The team did a great job in free agency thus far, but a lot more holes need to be filled during the draft.

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“Yeah, I want the Patriot Nation to know I’m going to pour my heart into this city, into this community, into this team. I care deeply about what I do. I bring passion and heart everywhere I go.

“I’m just so excited to get my feet in the building, get started, get to know the guys. Before guys want to hear what you have to say, you’ve got to make sure they feel like you care for them. So, I want to make sure that my teammates know that I’m not here trying to get them, I just want what’s best for them at the end of the day. So I’m going to pour my heart into my teammates.”

LB Robert Spillane on what fans can expect from him.

“You know, you don’t need a miracle to win football games. You just need the right people in the building. Obviously with Coach Vrabel here, we’ve got the right people. Our owner is an amazing owner, and then obviously we’ve got the right people here. CD won a Super Bowl; Milton just won a Super Bowl. They’re going to bring knowledge of the game on how to bring longevity through those weeks of week 18, 19, 20 when it hurts, when people want to tap out, how to keep going.

“It’s important for us to be able to learn from one another, and everybody has different qualities. Robert, he told — eight years in the league as a free agent without a tryout, and he comes in here and now he’s 140 tackles two years in a row. That doesn’t happen overnight. That’s preparation. That’s dawg. That’s brotherhood. That’s mentality. That’s somebody that comes in the building every day to learn.

“So guys are going to get around these guys and we’re going to talk football, we’re going to talk IQ, we’re going to talk brotherhood, we’re going to learn about each other on the field and off the field, so when we get on the field, nothing that comes at us — no adversity that touches us on the field is going to be able to break us, because we’re going to have an unbelievable bond.

“So when we run out of that tunnel on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays, you’re going to see something different. You’re going to feel something different because we’re going to go out there as one unit and we’re going to play football together.”

RT Morgan Moses on building a culture on the team.

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“Talent sets the floor; Character sets the ceiling.” Bill Belichick

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About Steve Balestrieri

A former US Army Special Forces NCO and Officer, Steve has been following the Patriots since their days at Fenway Park. Steve has worked in the film industry and wrote as an Military Editor at SpecialOperations.com, 1945.com as a reporter for the Millbury Daily Voice, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News. He's also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)

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Tags: 53 Man Roster Projection Carlton Davis Christian Gonzalez Garrett Bradbury Harold Landry Ja'Whaun Bentley Mike Vrabel Morgan Moses Robert Spillane