Patriots
The Patriots have a lot of questions to answer. Here are a few to think about.
Week 1 of the NFL regular season is underway, and the new-look Patriots will kick off the first game of the Mike Vrabel era on Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium.
It’s been an offseason marked by transition into new offensive and defensive schemes, an overhauled roster, and the tension of trying to put it all together.
These Patriots are expected to look quite different from the punchless version that finished 4-1 last season.
They have a more experienced Drake Maye, an accomplished No. 1 receiver (Stefon Diggs), a $100 million man (Milton Williams) at the point of attack on defense, and several rookies expected to play key roles on both sides of the ball.
There’s a lot of hype right now, but not many concrete answers on how the season will go.
Here are ten burning questions for the team ahead of the season opener.
Can Will Campbell live up to the hype?
The Patriots spent a top-5 pick on their biggest positional need, left tackle.
The upside is that if Campbell pans out, they’ll have that position filled with a young, athletic player who said during his interview on draft night that he would die to protect Maye.
Of course, the downside this season is that he’s a rookie. He’s inexperienced, and we don’t know exactly what he’ll look like within the context of a regular-season NFL game.
The early returns have been promising, as Campbell has looked sturdy during the Patriots’ preseason contests.
We’ll see how he looks against top pass-rushers, such as Las Vegas’s Maxx Crosby who visits Foxborough in Week 1.
How will Christian Gonzalez’s hamstring injury play out?
Can the Patriots’ top cornerback stay healthy for an entire season?
He did last year, playing in 16 out of 17 games. He did not during his rookie season, when a torn labrum caused him to miss all but four games.
His Week 1 status remains in question, as he has continued to miss practice this week with a hamstring injury.
Several reports have indicated that the injury is not considered serious, but missing more than a month of the preseason with the possibility of being unavailable for the opener, might be an indication that something is up.
It’s too early to tell the long-term outlook, though, and there is a chance that things could clear up quickly.
Are the Patriots really talented enough to cut players of Jabrill Peppers’s caliber?
This Patriots team, which has won just eight games over the past two seasons, has been at a talent deficit for a while now compared to other teams in the league.
Vrabel has reshaped the roster and is bringing his vision for the team’s culture, identity, and schematics to life.
The Patriots cut Jabrill Peppers and Kendrick Bourne, demoted Kyle Dugger, and reportedly floated Anfernee Jennings’s name in trade rumors.
Starting rookie Craig Woodson and veteran Jaylinn Hawkins over Peppers and Dugger are surprising moves, considering that safety had been one of the Patriots’ stronger position groups over the past few seasons.
What happens if Mike Vrabel goes 4-13 like Mayo and Belichick did before him?
Speaking of Vrabel, what about the unlikely, but still not out of the question chance that he doesn’t fare any better than his two predecessors?
Bill Belichick and Jerod Mayo were both fired after going 4-13. Mayo was fired after just one season.
Would team owner Robert Kraft give Vrabel the same treatment if things similarly go off the rails this season?
Will TreVeyon Henderson’s preseason success translate to the regular season?
Henderson was impressive during the preseason, taking his first NFL touch 100 yards for a touchdown on a kick return and producing consistently in the run-game.
All three of the Patriots’ running backs have different skill-sets, and Henderson’s explosive speed could make him into a unique weapon for this team.
But, he begins this season No. 3 at the running back position on the Patriots’ unofficial depth chart behind Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson.
What version of Christian Barmore will show up?
Christian Barmore’s health will likely play a significant role in determining the Patriots’ success up front.
Barmore missed all but four games last season after being diagnosed with blood clots.
He arrived at training camp with a noticeably slimmer frame and had been working off to the side with trainers on an individualized plan during much of camp.
Barmore had enjoyed a breakout season in 2023, posting 39 tackles and 8.5 sacks. A healthy Barmore paired with Williams could be a gamechanger up front.
Will Stefon Diggs be the Patriots’ first 1,000-yard receiver since Julian Edelman?
Diggs has topped 1,000 receiving yards in six of the last seven seasons. He’s also 31 years old and coming off ACL surgery.
He headlines a revamped wide receiver group. The Patriots haven’t gotten much production from their receivers in recent years. Diggs, even after a significant injury, should provide a bit of a talent boost.
The Patriots haven’t had a 1,000-yard receiver since Julian Edelman was catching passes from Tom Brady in 2019.
Will ball security be a long-term issue for Maye?
Maye has 15 career touchdown passes. He also has 12 career turnovers. He threw 10 interceptions last season and lost a pair of fumbles.
He actually fumbled four times last season, but the Patriots recovered two of them.
The young quarterback has a strong arm and has shown flashes of athleticism.
Taking care of the football, though, is a point of emphasis for the new coaching staff and it’s something he’ll have to improve on in 2025.
How long until Efton Chism sees regular playing time?
Efton Chism was one of the Patriots’ preseason breakout stars, leading the team in receiving yards en route to claiming a spot on the 53-man roster.
But, with Diggs, DeMario Douglas, and Kayshon Boutte ahead of him on the depth chart and Kyle Williams and Mack Hollins vying for touches, there’s a chance Chism could begin his rookie season mostly on the bench.
He didn’t play much with the starters during training camp, but he made the most of the opportunities he had to work with.
Is K’Lavon Chaisson the pass-rusher they think he can be?
Chaisson was probably the biggest surprise of training camp.
He spent last season with the Raiders after being released by the Panthers. He signed a one-year deal with the Patriots. He is a former first-round pick, so there had been optimism regarding his talent several years ago.
But, it hadn’t translated to production.
This summer, Chaisson overtook Keion White on the depth chart with an impressive body of work during the preseason. He had five sacks last year. The Patriots will lean on him to improve that stat as they work on their pass-rush.
The Patriots start their regular season Sunday at 1 p.m. with a matchup against the Raiders.
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