Patriots Open Camp After 14-3 Season as 35 New Faces Join Super Bowl Runner-Up
Updated
Updated · The Boston Globe · Jul 24
Patriots Open Camp After 14-3 Season as 35 New Faces Join Super Bowl Runner-Up
3 articles · Updated · The Boston Globe · Jul 24
Summary
Saturday’s first Patriots practice opens a sharply different camp: New England returns as a team being chased after going 14-3 and reaching the Super Bowl.
Mike Vrabel said his message stays constant despite higher expectations—earn a role, build the team, prepare to win—as the Patriots try to prove 2025 was no fluke.
A 29-13 Super Bowl loss to Seattle still drives the group, with veterans saying the defeat left a lingering edge even as they try to avoid complacency.
Thirty-five newcomers in a 90-man camp must absorb the program quickly during a shortened offseason, giving Vrabel the dual task of carrying over winning habits and fixing last year’s weaknesses.
The broader test is whether New England can handle a tougher schedule, a larger target and the urgency that comes with shifting from rebuilding team to contender.
With 35 new players and a major offensive line overhaul, can the Patriots avoid a Super Bowl hangover and protect Drake Maye?
Will Hunter Henry's contract year and DeAndre Hopkins' surprising coaching role provide the hidden edge New England needs to return to the championship?