How well Drake Maye (left) and Josh McDaniels click will go a long way toward determining how good the Patriots will be this season.
How well Drake Maye (left) and Josh McDaniels click will go a long way toward determining how good the Patriots will be this season.John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
The cuts are complete, the regular season is just around the corner, and fall is in the air. This week, we have questions about Tommy DeVito, Ja’Lynn Polk, roster depth, and much more. Let’s get to it.
There’s a lot of optimism out there about the team potentially chasing a playoff spot. I don’t see it, to be honest. It’s the first year of a new regime in a rebuild, there are still questions on the o-line, the overall depth seems to be non-existent, our best defender hasn’t seen the field in a month, and our QB is still young and unproven. While I don’t think it’s another four-win season, I’m thinking seven wins, tops. Convince me I’m wrong.
— Daisy, R.I. transplant living in Chicago
All your points are fair. This is a team with plenty of questions on both sides of the ball; namely, the offensive line and depth across the board. If they surpass seven wins, it’s going to be because their blue-chip talent has stayed healthy, Drake Maye has clicked with Josh McDaniels, and they’ve gotten some surprise contributions from unlikely candidates. I’ve learned one thing about covering the Patriots: it’s never as bad as you think it is, and it’s never as good as you think it is. (Unless you’re talking about the 2007 team.) Armed with that knowledge, anywhere between six and eight wins feels like a reasonable level of expectation for this team.
As a Giants fan, I cannot wait to see Tommy DeVito play in New England. He is just fun to watch. Great pickup and you’ll love interviewing him.
— Gary Kestenbaum, via e-mail
He was good when we spoke with him Thursday afternoon; he embraces the whole “Tommy Cutlets” thing with what seems like a good sense of humor. On the field, he faces a steep learning curve, but he made a good point that he’s coming from a place with Brian Daboll the last couple of years where he had a taste of a Josh McDaniels’ offense. Ultimately, once he gets up to speed, he’s capable of challenging Joshua Dobbs for the backup job.
The Patriots claimed Tommy DeVito (right) off waivers from the Giants last week.
The Patriots claimed Tommy DeVito (right) off waivers from the Giants last week.Barry Chin/Globe Staff
I’d love for you to put Ja’Lynn Polk’s struggles in perspective and possibly hope for the future. Specifically, has any player started this poorly and still had a successful (or at least serviceable) NFL career? I’m looking for a sliver of hope here!
— Adam King, via e-mail
Here are three wide receivers who had slow starts, but rebounded to have productive NFL careers:
⋅ Miles Austin: 18 catches his first three years in the league with Dallas (2006-08), but had 81 his fourth season in the league, and would go on to catch 361 passes in a 10-year career.
⋅ Wes Welker: 29 catches his first two years in the league (2004-05). He had a 12-year career with 903 receptions.
Wes Welker is an example of receivers who took a bit of time before becoming a star after only having 29 receptions during his first two NFL seasons and finished with 903.
Wes Welker is an example of receivers who took a bit of time before becoming a star after only having 29 receptions during his first two NFL seasons and finished with 903.Jim Davis/Globe Staff
⋅ Donald Driver: 37 catches in his first three seasons in the league (1999-01). He finished with 743 catches in 14 years in the NFL.
The difference between Polk and those three? He was a second-round pick with far greater expectations as a rookie, while those three were late-round picks or undrafted free agents. The other spark for those receivers could be traced back to some sort of change, whether it was in the coaching staff, quarterback, or new team. Could Polk find the same sort of jump-start a year down the road? We’ll see.
Looks like depth was the main problem after the first cut to 53, but depth pieces are what this week is about. With Vrabel and Eliot Wolf’s connections around the league, do you think being patient to reconstitute depth this way has been their approach to team building? Finding their kind of guys?
— Jim Gould, via Bluesky
Yes. To that point, it’s already easy to pinpoint Vrabel’s kind of players. Robert Spillane, Jack Gibbens, Morgan Moses, Hunter Henry, and Milton Williams are prime examples of his type of players, veterans who are smart, tough, and physical, professionals in every sense of the word. (That’s not to say there aren’t others on this list. Just that those were the initial group who come to mind.) From what we’ve seen so far, this front office appears willing to wait on their types of players, as opposed to going after any and all possibilities. If depth issues dog them in the regular season, it’ll be interesting to see if they alter their approach.
What’s the outlook on tight end production this year and beyond? Josh McDaniels loves utilizing them, as does Drake Maye, but both starting TEs are 30, and Jack Westover projects as a hybrid TE/FB at the moment. Do they try and scoop some vet help this season? Is TE a top draft priority in 2026?
— Jack Abbott, via Bluesky
No position more dependable on the offensive side of the ball than tight end. Provided he stays healthy — and he’s almost always a sure bet to do so — Hunter Henry is going to finish in the neighborhood of 50 catches, 700 yards, and five or six touchdowns. That being said, Henry and Austin Hooper are both 30. And given your points, that makes it a sneaky important area of need for the Patriots in the 2026 NFL Draft. Looking forward, I’d keep an eye on Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers, Texas’ Jack Endries (he played with Craig Woodson at Cal before transferring), and Ohio State’s Max Klare, as all three are considered the best college tight ends heading into the 2025 season.
Tight end Hunter Henry (left) has a good rapport with quarterback Drake Maye but is also 30 years old.
Tight end Hunter Henry (left) has a good rapport with quarterback Drake Maye but is also 30 years old.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
Which is the most likely second-tier receiver scenario? One, Efton Chism is splitting slot snaps with DeMario Douglas by the end of the year. Two, Kayshon Boutte leads the team in yards/receptions. Or three, Kyle Williams has a rookie breakout (750 yards, five touchdowns)?
— Josiah, Columbus, Ohio (via Hanson ), via Bluesky
Tough call, but three has the best chance of happening. One, the history of slot receivers in a Josh McDaniels’s offense suggests that this will be a better team if Douglas can stay on the field; he’s poised for a very good year. Two, Stefon Diggs will end up leading the team in yards and receptions this season. So I’ll go with three. Provided he can stay healthy, Williams could surprise this season.
Christopher Price can be reached at christopher.price@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at christopherprice.bsky.social.