The New England Patriots grabbed their first preseason win Saturday night, beating the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21, but don’t let the score fool you. Head coach Mike Vrabel was anything but hyped after the game, dropping a bombshell about his team’s roster depth that should have fans shaking.
“I Don’t Think We Have a Very Deep Team”
“I don’t think we have a very deep team,” Vrabel flat-out said when asked about personnel usage for the upcoming Browns game. That’s a brutal assessment, especially coming off a win. He’s talking about keeping “our best players available” and if playing them on Thursday is part of preparation, then that’s what he’ll do. No decision yet, but his confidence about the current setup feels… shaky, doesn’t it? He’s got to be looking at the early trends and seeing some glaring holes.
Offensive Line Is a Disaster Zone
Their top guys, including quarterback Drake Maye, haven’t played a single snap in either preseason game. Zero. They got joint practice reps against the Colts and Eagles, which is something, but game speed is totally different. Now those joint sessions are done, and Vrabel’s post-Philly comments tell you Maye and the crew are still likely seeing minimal action, if any. Why? Because the depth has been tested hard, and it’s failing. The offensive line is a mess right now. On Saturday, tackle Marcus Bryant went down with an ankle injury on the opening drive. He’s just the latest hit to that group, joining top interior option Ben Brown and since-released Andrew Rupcich on the list of banged-up linemen. You can’t win in this league without a solid O-line, and theirs is looking thin and vulnerable.
The Patriots are back on the practice fields Monday and Tuesday before their final preseason showdown in Cleveland on Thursday night. Everyone will be watching to see if Vrabel actually puts his starters out there to prove they can survive, or if he doubles down on protecting them. What a way to head into the regular season with your head coach admitting he doesn’t trust the guys behind the starters. Talk about high stakes for a preseason finale.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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