FOXBOROUGH, Mass — With an early injury as well as some concerning absences from mandatory minicamp, two key position groups have been called into question. And with that, head coach Mike Vrabel was asked about his level of concern and whether he intends to add any help.
So what are those two groups: tight end and edge rusher?
While the Patriots have Hunter Henry, they signed Julian Hill this offseason, providing another veteran presence in the room. However, Hill suffered an injury during the offseason that has already knocked him out for the 2026 season.
With that, it leaves Henry, Jack Westover, CJ Dippre, as well as rookies Eli Raridon and Tanner Arkin. So, does Vrabel want to add another to the roster?
“Just from a numbers standpoint at camp, I think that is somewhere where we will probably have to evaluate the numbers,” he explained. “I mean, there are 90, 91 guys on every team, so we will just have to take a look at that. But I would say that is probably somewhere where we would have to address.”
But that’s not the only position that has caused some concern in recent days. With Gabe Jacas’ absence during the offseason program, as well as Harold Landry continuing to rehab from his injury, this is another position Vrabel was asked about. But his answer here was vastly different.
“No, I like — that’s a good group,” Vrabel said. “I’m excited about adding Dre, the development of (Elijah) Ponder and (Bradyn) Swinson. Added (Jesse) Luketa and some young guys. We’ll continue to try to look at every position and make it stronger, but that group has done a nice job.”
“Again, we’ll continue to look at it, we’ll have to see where we’re at numbers-wise when we get into training camp, but just how many guys you can rep based on the practices,” Vrabel added.
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Mike Vrabel hints at one key Patriots move, but rules out another
