PATRIOTS HEAD COACH MIKE VRABEL
PRESS CONFERENCE
July 30, 2026
Q: How has Christian Gonzalez looked so far, and do you anticipate him being a full participant today?
MV: I don't think his participation is going to change. I haven't heard anything. I thought he has come out and looked good, looked exactly how we would expect him to look and came in ready to go. Executing the multiple coverages, and when he is in match, he has been close to his guy. I think the one thing we've tried to challenge him on is some of the other opportunities where he can go and use his athleticism, his speed, his length and his instincts to go make plays. There's going to be times where he's going to be matched up, and there's going to be times where he's going to have other opportunities. Some of that has shown up early on in camp, and hopefully that continues.
Q: Mike, you said last year that this is maybe your most exciting day, when they first get out there in pads, and usually there's one or two guys that look different. Do you remember who that was last year, maybe who stood out? How much do you like this day of the year?
MV: Well, I just think it's the next step for us. It's another opportunity to come out there, really start to come together and see how the fundamentals and all the technique work that the guys have tried to put in through the offseason and through the early part of camp. I don't want to single anybody out. I don't really recall. I actually thought about it for a quick second, and then I said I'm going to need to focus on what today is and this year. But whether that's young players, tight ends or the opportunity to run, this is good work for us - to be able to work in the weather, work in elements, stay up, work our footing, to be able to play, operate and take care of the football. From a quarterback-center exchange to the way that we catch it, there's going to be times where we are going to have to play in the elements, and this is a great opportunity for us.
Q: Mike, is DeAndre Hopkins still with the team? What was it like having him around?
MV: Well, it was a great experience. Hop's not here, but it was a great experience for all of us. I think that's what we would try to do when you have some of these unique situations where a player, former player or whatever it may be wants to come in, help and learn, and they love football. So, I think it was good for everybody.
Q: Mike, do you have an update on Carlton Davis [III]?
MV: He won't be out there today. I wouldn't expect seeing him today or, obviously, any of the PUP guys. Gabe [Jacas] continues to progress well. I would say that he's closer to the return to play element that we talk about a lot, transitioning to Frank [Piraino] and his crew, getting closer. So, excited about that.
Q: Mike, Charles Woods also left.
MV: I don't think that was anything major.
Q: How is it going with Drake [Maye] and A.J. Brown? I know when we spoke to A.J. earlier, he was talking about getting to know Drake, getting to know the offense. Does their growing connection get easier because Drake's command of the offense is growing too?
MV: You just have to go out and execute. I know everybody tracks the numbers and everything else. I'm confident that they will continue to progress. Again, it's good work. It's good competitive work out there, and guys are in tight coverage or challenging and whatever that may be. Drake's hit a lot of passes to a lot of different guys. And I think that's the one thing that we continue to try to impress upon everybody, is that whether it's Hunter [Henry] or the guys that are receivers, there are opportunities for Rhamondre [Stevenson] in the passing game or matchups that we have had. I'm really confident that that relationship will continue to grow, and A.J. will have plenty of opportunities to help us.
Q: Mike, what's been your impression of Kayshon Boutte so far this camp, both on the field and just however he has been comporting himself off the field?
MV: It's been exactly the same as last year. He's very professional, ready to go, knows what to do and takes advantage of his opportunities. It's been great to see him show up and be productive early in camp, just as he was last year. I have a lot of respect for him, and I've told him that. I'm excited he's gotten off to a good start.
Q: How would you describe what you have seen from the rookie class?
MV: I think that it's a learning curve for these guys. I think that the spring is one thing, and then getting to training camp is something completely different. I think they try to improve, they try to learn. Caleb [Lomu], playing O-line in this league and doing those things is a new experience. There are new techniques. It's a much different line of scrimmage, I would say, than college football. So, he rarely makes the same mistake twice. He practices hard. He tries to learn. He tries to fix mistakes. Eli [Raridon]'s learning and figuring this game out, and I think he can find a way to help us, and I can go down the line. As I said, I mentioned Gabe earlier. He wants to be out there as soon as he possibly can, and I told everybody this and I told Gabe this, that there'd be a return to play when he got back. So, he's attentive in meetings, and he's watching practice. He came in on his off day and met with Smitty [Mike Smith] and did all those things that he needed to do.
Q: I saw during practice yesterday he made an appearance, obviously not participating though. Is that something that you encourage, given that he wasn't here for some of the spring and summer?
MV: Well, he wanted to be out there. Some guys, I would say that the closer they get to coming back, I'm probably more likely to have them come out to practice. If they aren't very close to coming back, then maybe they won't be out there. But I would say that's probably just a case-by-case basis, and he wanted to be out there. He wanted to watch, learn and see what was going on with the drills and everything else. So that's what we did.
Q: We saw Harold [Landry III] out there, too. Is that significant that maybe he is getting closer to returning to the field?
MV: I probably would say Gabe's closer to coming back than Harold is.
Q: Mike, we have heard both [Bradyn] Swinson and [Elijah] Ponder mention that they changed their diet, changed their eating habits this offseason. Is that something that the young players come to realize as they mature, or how much of it comes from your supporting nutrition staff?
MV: Well, I think it's that some of these players are at an age where they're just now getting into where they could be physically at their best, from a strength, conditioning and speed factor. Some players, that happens a little earlier than other players. But I think that those guys were looking at what they needed to do to improve or what they could do to improve from year one to year two. Ted [Harper] and Sam [Dauphinee] do a fantastic job with each player's dietary needs and what some players need - less, more. Coaches could probably use a little less calories than some of the players. But those guys have worked hard, and excited to see where they continue to grow.
Q: Mike, three days through camp, what do you make of the offense's operation, from the play-call coming in to the snap?
MV: I think it's good. I mean, you want to compare last year, it's probably better. I don't know. We talk about our overall tempo of practice. I think the tempo, the speed and the urgency, I think is good. I think the execution, what I told the team, what I told the offense, I think the execution has to be better. I think it will be better. But overall, I think that we're moving with a pace that I think can help us. We try to work with a play clock, and we try to get to the line of scrimmage, and whether we huddle, we don't huddle, and allow Drake to get us in a good call. I think all those things are good, and we'll continue to build and work with that, and it could always be better. But being able to play with a tempo, whether we huddle or not, is something that's critical.
Q: Caleb, when we have seen him on a handful of occasions over the course of the summer work, is that kind of that jumbo tight end, that extra tackle out there, the role that Thayer [Munford Jr.] had last year. What goes into the decision to say he might be a good fit here as opposed to someone else?
MV: I think what their skill type may be, whether the further away you get from the ball, or being able to work in space, or some of those blocks out on the edge and how that translates. It's usually a tackle. If you look at the open side of the play, whatever they may do, just kind of pretend that they're the tight end and see how that translates. So, we'll work some other guys through and continue to look at that. But we wanted to try to give him a role early on or give him an opportunity to have a role early on, and we'll see where that develops. He'll be in there sometimes, and when Morgan [Moses] isn't out there, and then some other guys will.
Q: It seems like you guys have been leaning into some more three-safety looks than maybe you did last season. What do you look for in safety play in that nickel spot, and what have you thought of the competition there so far?
MV: Yeah, the three safeties is just a body, you know what I mean? It's a guy. So, Marcus [Jones] isn't the biggest guy, and you know how much we love Marcus. It gives you an opportunity to probably play against teams that are going to run the football out of eleven personnel or play against twelve personnel. Much like the conversation we just had with Caleb, it's just trying to find guys to have roles and who can play where. Pretty confident that Marcus knows that stuff and knows how to play in there. And then giving some of the safeties an opportunity to have another role as well.
Q: Mike, you are pretty deep at wide receiver. Is that a position where you might be willing to move a player, or do you like having that depth?
MV: Well, I love having depth, but I would say that we're always going to try to look to improve, whether that's by adding draft capital, obtaining a player or keeping the guys we have. We want to try to provide competition throughout the roster at each position. I think that's something that's critical. I think that's what good teams do every year, year in and year out, that they're making the roster as competitive as possible. So that those position battles, who's the sixth lineman, who's the fifth, sixth receiver, who's the fourth tight end, all these things, you want to be as competitive as possible. That's something that I have always -- I was a part of it as a player, and I think that's important to do here in training camp.
Q: Some quarterbacks and coaches around the league, including Josh Allen, have talked a little bit about reading defenses last season and how it's getting harder to use safeties as keys. Is that something that you guys think about when you are teaching your quarterbacks? Do you have to teach them differently? Is that even a thing that you're really thinking about, trying to be deceptive?
MV: I mean, offensively, I think we're always trying to figure out what's going on and what they are trying to do, and how we can set the defense and make it look like we're going to snap the ball. To Andrew's [Callahan] point, our tempo and our operation, I mean, if you just stand out there and the quarterback's just standing straight up and down, you're not going to give him any reason to get into position or to show maybe what they're doing. I would say that there's some pre-snap and then post-snap reads that get involved, and whether the coverage opens up, or it stays pretty tight to the line of scrimmage and they're in some sort of match. Or the nontraditional Tampa looks that people are running and everything else. So, I would say that we only have one team to gameplan against right now, and that's the other side of the ball for the Patriots. Drake will have to study our guys and what Craig's [Woodson] doing, what Kevin's [Byard III] doing, linebacker location, all these different things that go into it. Guys staring in at the ball, maybe somebody pressed when they're not normally pressed. I would say we try to give them a few things, but not too many things that you can't go out there and play fast.
Q: When it comes to handling protections, were there any ways that you wanted to see Trey [TreVeyon Henderson] continue to improve this season after he kind of went into handling it last year? How have you seen him grow there?
MV: Yeah, that's always more about the disguise, and how would I like to see him handle it? I would like to see him make sure that the slide's going to where they are pressuring from. I would like to try to get as many guys to where they're pressuring from as possible. They don't show us the card before the play. So, what's always important is that we listen to the quarterback. And if he's hot, he's got to know that he's hot, and he's got to have an answer, right? I don't think protection is ever going to be 100%. What's important is that you have a way to save the day, know where your hot throw is or know where your issues are. So, I would say that that's something that we're always trying to improve on. You'll see these guys working during special teams. You'll see them working blitz pickup, too weak, too strong, corner pressure, you know what I mean? It's just, I think, a constant thing. Again, I love the way that Rhamondre protects, and TreVeyon's continuing to work on that. If you have backs that can pick up pressure, it's one thing to be able to get over there and know where the pressure is coming from. It's also another to go block them. Defensively, we talk about, if we get on a running back, we have to win. We have to be disruptive when we are blitzing on a back. So, I think the first part is getting the quarterback to get us in the right protection, and then you've got to go over there and block them. Then if we don't get in the right protection, the quarterback has to know what the answer is and where he has got to get rid of the football.
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