New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel just spilled the beans, shouting out five players who made some serious noise against the Eagles this past Saturday night. With the starters chilling on the sidelines for the second preseason game in a row, it was all about the depth guys stepping up, and some of them absolutely did. It wasn’t perfect across the board, sure, but Vrabel saw enough positive contributions from some unexpected names to highlight them to reporters on Monday.
Unsung Heroes Stepping Up On Offense
On the offensive side, two wide receivers, Efton Chism and Kyle Dixon, caught Vrabel’s eye, alongside offensive tackle Dametrious Crownover. Vrabel was super specific about what he liked, saying, “Crownover, I thought, played well and tried to finish, and tried to use his length in pass protection.” You gotta love seeing a big dude trying to finish! For the wideouts, Vrabel pointed out that “Chizz did a great job when the ball found him making the plays, but also his ability to go and block force and finish.” But the real head-turner? Kyle Dixon. Vrabel literally said, “Kyle Dixon hadn’t been out there for a while. A guy that’s relatively new to the receiver position. That was really cool to see him show up in some big moments. We’re throwing the ball to Kyle Dixon , he was a baseball player not too long ago , on fourth down and he’s making a play. And then he’s trying to find the right guys to block in the run game. Those were all really interesting things.” A former baseball player making fourth-down plays? That’s the kind of grit you want to see!
Defense Shines, Roster Spots On The Line
Over on defense, Vrabel gave shoutouts to defensive tackle Leonard Taylor and veteran cornerback Kindle Vildor. “Kindle, obviously, had some very competitive snaps,” Vrabel noted about Vildor. And for Taylor, Vrabel felt “Lenny T played well and factored and showed up.” These guys aren’t just making noise for nothing, either. Four of the five players Vrabel highlighted actually have a decent shot at making the 53-man roster by next week’s cutdown deadline. Vildor is battling for that fifth cornerback spot and he’s looked promising. Taylor is right in the mix for a rotational spot behind starting interior D-linemen Milton Williams and Christian Barmore. Chism is fighting for the last spot in a stacked wide receiver room. Crownover, who might have been a practice squad guy, could even get a boost with backup tackle Marcus Bryant getting injured early in the Eagles game. Unfortunately, despite Dixon’s heroics, the depth ahead of him means he’s probably not making the active roster. Still, what a moment for the former baseball player!
All these guys, plus their teammates, get more chances this week. The Patriots are hitting the practice field twice before their preseason finale in Cleveland on Thursday. Every snap, every block, every catch is a tryout right now.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pats Pulpit.
Leave a Reply