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8 questions facing the 2025 Patriots entering training camp
Mike Vrabel is looking to right the ship in New England after two-straight four-win seasons.
After posting back-to-back four-win seasons, the New England Patriots are looking for a clean slate in 2025.
On paper, this new Patriots roster should be better equipped to right the wrongs that have scuttled the once-proud franchise:
- Mike Vrabel and an experienced coaching staff now have the reins after a lost season under first-year coach Jerod Mayo.
- A Patriots roster short on playmakers on both sides of the ball invested heavily in upgrading the depth chart via a free-agent spending spree.
- A favorable schedule in 2025 should open the door for New England to double their win total from the previous season … at the very least.
- And New England boasts one of the top young quarterbacks in the league in Drake Maye, whose continued development will determine just how high this team’s ceiling will be.
There is plenty of optimism radiating out of Foxborough ahead of another training camp.
But there are still plenty of questions and concerns that the Patriots must address this summer if this team wants to truly reassert itself in the AFC.
With the first official day of training camp set to commence Wednesday, here are eight questions facing the Patriots ahead of the 2025 preseason.
1. How will the offensive line shake out?
The Patriots have seemingly cleared the most daunting hurdle holding back teams on the upswing in the NFL: finding a potential franchise QB.
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Maye was one of the few bright spots in a miserable 2024 season for New England, with his playmaking ability with a diminished supporting cast offering hope that the UNC product will thrive as the Patriots’ depth chart improves.
But as adept as Maye is at scrambling and extending plays, it’s not a sustainable formula for New England to have their franchise QB running for his life after every snap.
If New England wants to build a foundation for success, it’s going to have to shore up an O-line that allowed 52 sacks this past season — the fifth-most in the NFL.
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After trotting out the tackle combination of Vederian Lowe and Demontrey Jacobs for most of 2024, New England at least has some options to turn to moving forward.
First-round pick Will Campbell (No. 4 overall) has the potential to be a stalwart at left tackle, while veteran Morgan Moses could stabilize things on the right side.
After cutting David Andrews, New England replaced him with Garrett Bradbury, while 2025 third-round pick Jared Wilson offers plenty of upside as well.
With Mike Onwenu likely slotting back to right guard, New England’s personnel in the trenches already looks much improved.
Still, there are plenty of question marks in place with New England’s grouping at the line of scrimmage.
Campbell has plenty of potential, but growing pains should be expected in his rookie season, while questions about his arm length will inevitably linger.
Moses’ age is worth noting at 34 years old, while Bradbury was a mixed bag in 2024 with the Vikings. Pro Football Focus had Bradbury graded as the 14th best center (out of 64) in run blocking (70.7) last season, but he also ranked 55th in that pool in pass blocking grade (48.2).
Left guard also remains up in the air, with Cole Strange likely the first man up as the former first-round pick looks to recoup his value.
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New England’s O-line should be better in 2025. But they need to prove that sentiment on the field.
2. Is Stefon Diggs ready for Week 1?
At long last, the Patriots have a No. 1 receiver to pair with Drake Maye. Maybe.
Veteran Stefon Diggs is seemingly ahead of schedule in his return from a torn ACL in October 2024. The 31-year-old wideout reportedly won’t open camp on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list, offering hope that he could be a regular participant sooner rather than later.
That would be a welcome sight for a Patriots team in desperate need of a go-to option for Maye.
Diggs may not be the same All-Pro stalwart who averaged 111 catches, 1,343 yards, and 9.3 touchdowns per season over his four-year run with the Bills.
But, the veteran is still an adept route runner who can carve up defenses and move the chains with regularity.
New England was adamant on adding a top wideout this summer. Even with the Patriots flush with cash, Chris Godwin opted to stick with Tampa Bay in free agency, while DK Metcalf shivered at the thought of playing in New England before getting traded to the sunny shores of Pittsburgh.
Diggs stands as a contingency plan well worth taking a chance on, so long as he both stays healthy and avoids landing in Mike Vrabel’s doghouse once again.
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If Diggs pops, everything else starts falling into place for New England’s offense.
3. How will Drake Maye fare with Josh McDaniels?
At first glance, pairing Maye with a seasoned offensive coordinator in Josh McDaniels feels like a match made in heaven.
McDaniels’ resume is impressive — well beyond his years spent orchestrating imposing offensive units alongside Tom Brady.
If McDaniels could draw a Pro Bowl season out of Mac Jones, the possibilities would seemingly be endless for Maye.
Still, some growing pains should be expected for Maye as he adjusts to a new OC and offensive scheme in his second year in the NFL.
“I think the quarterback room in general is really, really good in terms of putting the time and effort in at this time of the year,” McDaniels said in June. “We either make a good play or we learn from the result. Sometimes as a coach, and nobody wants to hear this, the negative results can actually be your best teachers.
“Because you have a play that didn’t go the right way, and you learn from it. The biggest key for us going forward is when we learn from a mistake, can we go out there the next day and not repeat the same error? I think [Maye is] doing a really good job of digesting the information, processing the corrections when there is a correction to be made, and go out there with a great attitude and mindset the next day.”
McDaniels had a knack in the post-Brady era for tailoring New England’s offense to whatever QB was under center – be it the run-happy Cam Newton or a short-yardage arm like Jones.
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A player with Maye’s arm and wheels should open up plenty of possibilities for McDaniels’ complex scheme and system.
But, patience will need to be preached in the early going as Maye aims to get on the same page with his new coach.
Of course, that sentiment will probably out the door as soon as the first poor 11-on-11 period is reported out of Foxborough.
4. Can Mike Vrabel rebuild New England’s culture?
Mike Vrabel didn’t mince words when he asked in January about some of his priorities as New England’s new head coach.
“We’re going to earn the right to be here every day. We’re going to move entitlement from our football team,” Vrabel said in his introductory press conference.
It didn’t take Vrabel very long to practice what he preached, harping on top free-agent signing Milton Williams to finish out his sprints during conditioning drills just months after inking the largest deal in franchise history.
“He wants me to go fast and empty the tank every rep,” Williams said. “I like that. I don’t think I’m bigger than the next person. I don’t mind him calling me out. Calling me out is going to help the other guys. We have no excuses.”
With Vrabel in place, it’s clear that the Patriots are placing a premium on flushing away some of the rot that eroded this franchise over the last few years.
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Gone are five of New England’s six 2024 captains in David Andrews, Ja’Whaun Bentley, Jacoby Brissett, Deatrich Wise Jr., and Joe Cardona.
Only Jabrill Peppers remains on the roster as a former captain, while two other longtime Patriots regulars in Jonathan Jones and Davon Godchaux are also playing elsewhere.
Vrabel is clearing house, and it’s evident that the new head coach is looking to build up a new culture anchored by a younger crop of talent like Maye, Christian Gonzalez, and others.
It won’t be a seamless process, but how Vrabel goes about building that culture and tying it into the results on the gridiron will be fascinating to watch this summer and fall — especially when contrasted against last year’s chaotic camp.
“We’re going to be moving. We’re going to demand effort and finish,” Vrabel said in January. “People ask what non-negotiables are. Our effort and our finish is going to be the contract that we make with our teammates. That will be my job to make sure.”
5. Will New England’s offseason investments on defense pay off?
With money to burn this spring, New England allocated hundreds of millions of dollars toward addressing several glaring deficiencies across the depth chart.
Most of that was siphoned toward the defensive side of the ball, headlined by the signings of Milton Williams, Carlton Davis, Robert Spillane, Harold Landry, and others.
There’s a lot to like about a Patriots secondary anchored by Gonzalez and Davis moving forward.
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But, New England is expecting big things in its front-seven in 2025, given both the money devoted to that segment of the roster and the poor play that was prevalent at those spots the previous year.
New England finished last season with the fewest sacks in the league (28) while also allowing 131.4 rushing yards per game — 22nd overall in the league.
The addition of Williams as a potential game-wrecker up front could open things up for other pass-rushers like Keion White and Landry, while bringing in run-stopping linebackers like Spillane and Jack Gibbens could give New England some additional thump and improve their play against the run.
A lot is riding on New England’s offensive line and Maye’s own individual play in 2025. But New England’s defense has the talent alone to take a major step forward this fall.
6. Which rookies will make an impact?
The Patriots are banking on Will Campbell quickly realizing his potential as a starting left tackle in 2025.
But, the Patriots’ 2025 first-round pick is far from the only youngster poised for a big camp.
On the offensive side of the ball, second-round selection TreVeyon Henderson could emerge as the No. 2 running back behind Rhamondre Stevenson, while also bolstering his value as an effective pass-blocking option for Maye.
With 2024 picks Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker both flaming out last year, New England would also welcome some strong play out of the gate from 2025 third-rounder Kyle Williams, a shifty wideout who former All-Pro Steve Smith compared to himself.
Fourth-rounder Craig Woodson could be a name to watch after a solid showing during mini-camp and OTAs as a fleet-footed safety, while rookie sixth-round pick Andy Borregales is set to embark on a kicking competition with veteran John Parker Romo.
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Every NFL training camp seems to feature one surprise standout who was a late-offseason pickup or undrafted talent out of college.
Don’t be surprised if shifty slot receiver Efton Chism III — who broke several of Cooper Kupp’s records at Eastern Washington — takes up that mantle this summer.
7. Who is on the roster bubble?
Vrabel and Co. have already been busy when it comes to shedding veteran incumbents off this roster.
But, several other noteworthy players could also be looking over their shoulder this summer, especially on offense.
If Diggs is healthy and rookies like Chism and Williams look like the real deal, could New England cut bait with two 2024 picks in Baker and Polk?
Kendrick Bourne is another player to keep tabs on if the rest of New England’s wideout corps exceed expectations.
If the numbers game gets tight, it might come down to the optics of cutting either a veteran in Bourne or a second-round pick in Polk.
8. Will New England make any more moves?
The Patriots spent plenty of cash this offseason in an effort to upgrade the roster.
But, just because training camp is about to commence, that doesn’t mean that Eliot Wolf is content with rolling with this roster as is.
As evidenced by the Matthew Judon trade last August, the NFL preseason is rife with trades, contract holdouts, and surprise cuts that could allow New England to target another impact player if the opportunity arises.
For example? If the Washington Commanders can’t come to terms on a new contract with Terry McLaurin, Wolf and Co. should be on the prowl.
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Diggs has the potential to be an impact WR1 in Foxborough this season. Adding a player like McLaurin would remove all doubt that New England’s offense is ready to take a massive step forward.
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