Fresh off a Super Bowl run that saw the New England Patriots lose to the Seattle Seahawks, Patriots HC Mike Vrabel has highlighted a concern affecting their preseason preparation for the 2026 season. The AFC East powerhouse secured a 24–21 preseason victory over the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium. Vrabel, however, passed on the August compliments and instead pointed to a clear structural issue with his roster.

Mike Vrabel noted that the team lacks reliable depth across several key position groups when asked about the lack of time regular starters and stars like Drake Maye have seen on the field in preseason and any possible changes in the final preseason game. 

“I don’t think we have a very deep team. So, you know, I think we have to make sure that we’re preparing our football team, and that we’re doing everything that we can to keep our best players available. And if that means playing Thursday as part of preparation, that’s what we’ll do,” Mike Vrabel told the reporters after the 2nd preseason game.

While the starting units held their own against the Eagles, the 2nd and 3rd string units gave up a lot of yards and struggled to contain offensive drives. The gap in performance once the starters were off the field was evident. 

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Mike Vrabel later told reporters why he called a timeout following defensive breakdowns against the Eagles’ backup QB Tanner McKee  (16 of 22 passes for 173 yards and 2 TDs) and reserve RB Carson Steele (117 total yards and 1 highlight TD).

“I saw dogshit defense, and I wanted to talk to them. And I figured that if I didn’t call a timeout, that I wouldn’t be able to get what I wanted to say off my chest.”

Backup QB Tommy DeVito struggled to find rhythm under center; despite hitting Kyle Williams on a 69-yard TD, he went 8-of-15 with an inefficient -12.4% CPOE (Completion Percentage Over Expectation) and almost threw an interception. 

New England only scraped by with a 24–21 win because third-string passer Behren Morton connected on a 37-yard TD pass to Nick DeGennaro in the closing minute before Quintayvious Hutchins sealed it with an edge strip-sack. 

This creates a dilemma for the Patriots coaching staff heading into the preseason finale against the Cleveland Browns. Vrabel must get his starters enough reps to build game rhythm, but he runs an injury risk at key positions that could affect how the team functions at the start of the season without battle-tested options. 

Their OL also indicates a lack of depth after losing tackle Caedan Wallace and placing Andrew Rupcich on IR with a torn MCL, forcing an emergency signing of 33-year-old Greg Van Roten. This leaves GM Eliot Wolf balancing urgent roster repairs with Christian Gonzalez’s contract extension.

During the Eagles v Patriots broadcast, Wolf acknowledged that “each side is trying to do what’s right for them. Christian is a tremendous player… we want him to be here.” 

Heading into the 2026 season, the margin for error remains thin as the Patriots’ season might well be defined not just by its top stars staying healthy, but by how effectively the front office can build up the roster’s supporting pieces.