Patriots defensive end Keion White runs through a drill during Patriots mini camp at Gillette Stadium.
Patriots defensive end Keion White runs through a drill during Patriots mini camp at Gillette Stadium.Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff
FOXBOROUGH — Keion White isn’t the overly expressive type, but he’s quick to let you know what he thinks about the changes the Patriots have made over the last few months.
The defensive end, who made it clear at the end of the 2024 season he was unhappy with the general direction of the team, sounds excited the franchise swapped out Jerod Mayo and added Mike Vrabel as the head coach.
“Now, I feel like I have a coach,” White said after Tuesday’s minicamp session inside the Dana Farber Field House.
“I like Mike. He leads with work. I can respect that,” White added. “It’s similar to Bill [Belichick], just with a younger face. I think we all know how I feel about that; I liked him. So it’s comforting to know that you have a hard-ass at the helm who will not be afraid to fistfight with you in a back alley.”
After New England suffered a ghastly 40-7 loss to the Chargers last December, White was outspoken in his feelings about the state of the franchise, asking, “If changes aren’t made, then what are we doing?” A few weeks later, Mayo was fired and Vrabel was hired.
While White was careful not to name Mayo on Tuesday, it was clear White was alluding his former head coach. White, set to start his third season with the Patriots, seemed to indicate that there’s a world of difference between last year and this season, particularly when it comes to dealing with elite players.
“Mike usually lets me rock, because I really don’t say too much and just kind of do my own thing. But he’s not afraid to call out his top guys. His top earning guys. His best players,” White said when asked about the new head coach calling out Milton Williams during an OTA session earlier this spring.
“He says all the time he’s going to be hardest on his best players. And so he’s shown that, and I respect that, and it shows that nobody is bigger than the program.”
Asked about the new attacking style of defense, White echoed Vrabel’s optimism about the front seven, saying they’ve already installed packages that see White bump inside and Williams move outside, all while working alongside defensive lineman Christian Barmore.
“We have really good guys on the inside who can get after the passer, even on early down situations,” he said. “That changes things I can do a little bit. Be less conservative and be more aggressive.”
The next step? Showing that same high level of play when the pads go on at the end of next month.
“I’m a fan. We can just build upon that,” said White, who was tied for the team lead with five sacks last season. “Hopefully, we have a better run defense than we did last year, and just see where it goes from here.
“We’ve been in passing camp the last couple of weeks, so you never really know what you have until the pads really come on. We’ll see what happens.”
Cranking it up
The Patriots will gather for one more session on Wednesday before breaking for the summer. Vrabel’s message to the team before they scatter?
“It’s critical that they come back in shape, that they’re ready to go for training camp, that we’re prepared as coaches with the schedule, the installation and what we’re doing,” he said. “The players have to hold up their end of the bargain to prepare for training camp.”
What will the head coach do?
“Probably do a little bit of football, do a little bit of golf, do a little bit of relaxing,” he said. “The last 10 days, you get a little cranky because you’re ready to go to training camp. You get a little cranky because as a player, you’re thinking about starting training camp. And that’s kind of carried through.”
Reporting dates
The Patriots announced Tuesday veteran players will report to training camp July 22, and the team will conduct their first open practice July 23. In addition, they revealed they’ll hold a joint practice with the Commanders on Aug. 6 in Foxborough prior to the home preseason game Aug. 8 … Vrabel confirmed the addition of former San Francisco 49ers football analyst Ekene Olekanma as their new director of coaching analytics, and discussed some of the work he anticipates him doing with the Patriots. Vrabel said Olekanma’s background as a player (at Toledo) meshes well with some of the statistical-driven things they anticipate him working on in Foxborough. “However we can make our jobs more efficient and better is something that I’m excited about,” Vrabel said. “We’re all excited about him.” . . . The Patriots announced veteran offensive lineman Wes Schweitzer was placed on the Reserve/Retired List.
Christopher Price can be reached at christopher.price@globe.com. Follow him @cpriceglobe.