Mike Vrabel Calls Out Patriots' Roster Depth Ahead of NFL Preseason Finale, Cuts Decisions

New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel isn't totally sold on his team's depth heading into the 2026 regular season.

"I do not think we have a very deep team, so I think we have to make sure that we are preparing our football team and that we are doing everything that we can to keep our best players available," he said Saturday, per ESPN's Mike Reiss.

The comments came against the backdrop of Patriots quarterback Drake Maye not seeing the field for the second straight preseason game. Coaches typically don't want to risk their guaranteed starters much in the preseason finale, but Vrabel isn't ruling it out for next Thursday's clash with the Cleveland Browns.

"I have not made that decision yet, but I would say that that is something that I am confident in with where we are set up currently," he said.

New England had a pretty busy offseason for a team coming off a Super Bowl appearance. It spent the seventh-most money ($190.1 million) in free agency, and that doesn't account for the acquisition of three-time Pro Bowler.

Vrabel's comments aside, the team looks better on paper than it was to open 2025.

Maye has another year of experience under his belt, and the same goes for starting left tackle Will Campbell. Brown's arrival should provide a big boost to the passing game.

Depth is an important ingredient for any franchise with Super Bowl aspirations. In some cases, though, it doesn't really matter who the backups are.

Losing a key star such as Maye, Brown or cornerback Christian Gonzalez would be a massive blow. Maye in particular is irreplaceable as Tommy DeVito would be the next man up at quarterback.

Whether Vrabel was being honest with his comments or wanted to keep his players mentally sharp by withholding praise, he knows reaching another Super Bowl will hinge a lot on player health.