The New England Patriots had a 24-21 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, but instead of celebrating the win, their head coach Mike Vrabel’s comments immediately shifted attention towards a much bigger issue the Patriots are facing. As the regular season approaches, the coach seems to be looking beyond his starters and directly at the players who must be ready when injuries hit.
“We are the front office. We are all making the decisions,” said Mike Vrabel on The Greg Hill Show. “We’re all included in this. It was about the young guys we have to develop. You can see that the players we kept out of the game, those are those guys.
“And we have to be able to find some guys behind them to be backups, to be the first guy in. To be the third outside linebacker. Be the third inside linebacker. Be the sixth offensive lineman. These things that are so critical. Be the third safety.”
The depth issue came to light because quarterback Drake Maye is yet to take a preseason snap. Neither have other major players, including A.J. Brown, Christian Gonzalez, Milton Williams, Hunter Henry, and Will Campbell.
Post the game on Saturday, Vrabel was asked about the depth issue. That is when he gave the statement about the Patriots not being deep. However, in the last preseason game, the Patriots could have their stars take the field.
“I do not think we have a very deep team, so I think we have to make sure that we are preparing our football team and that we are doing everything that we can to keep our best players available,” Vrabel said. “And if that means playing Thursday as part of preparation, then that is what we will do. I have not made that decision yet, but I would say that that is something that I am confident in with where we are set up currently.”
New England’s unofficial depth chart lists veterans, but the backup spots include young or unproven players. At linebacker, for example, the Patriots are counting on K.J. Britt, Khalil Jacobs, Chad Muma, and Namdi Obiazor to provide depth behind the starters.
“Well, I think that when you look at how you want to be constructed, we have to continue to draft very well,” Vrabel added. “We have to continue to develop those late-round picks, the guys that we can find that can be interior offensive linemen, that can be special teams linebackers, which is what we’re hoping when you look at Nam[di Obiazor] and Khalil [Jacobs]. Drafted some edge guys that you can develop and that maybe haven’t necessarily played this 3-4 defense in the past, but that you’re developing.”
“That’s just kind of where we were constructed and I think we can always work to improve that. You just know that through the course of the season you’re going to need so many of those guys just because things are going to happen and we have to be ready to play games without those front-line guys. That’s on us to be able to get these guys ready to go.”
Inexpensive developmental players eventually have to become reliable contributors because there is no financial room for draft mistakes.
The experiment of trying backups in preseason has certainly worked. Rookie QB Behren Morton helped in the game-winning drive against the Eagles, while the receiver room has shown encouraging performances from Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III. Williams even recorded a 69-yard TD, proving why preseason opportunities are important to mark themselves.
With roster cuts approaching and the Patriots needing to cut to 53 players by August 30, these evaluations are becoming increasingly crucial. New England has its frontline talent. Now it needs to prove it has enough players behind it to make that talent sustainable.