The New England Patriots introduced their 16th head coach in franchise history on Jan. 13, marking the official beginning of Mike Vrabel’s tenure. It took just nine days after the end of the 2024-2025 season for the franchise to make a hire after the departure of Jerod Mayo. This came after an abysmal season in which the Patriots finished 4-13.
Vrabel, a three-time Super Bowl Champion and All-Pro during his playing years with the Patriots, was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame during the 2023 season while he was still the head coach for the Tennessee Titans, a title he held until the end of that season, in which he was fired and replaced by current head coach Brian Callahan.
While many know Vrabel for his excellent playing career and early success with the Titans, what can the Patriots’ faithful expect of him in his new role as the New England head coach?
Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel argues a call during the first half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
Winning at the Line of Scrimmage
Vrabel’s offense in Tennessee centered around dominating the line of scrimmage and running the ball with power. During the first four of his six years in Nashville, his offense ranked in the top ten in rushing yards per game. When they ranked No. 13 and No. 18 in his final two years, the team performed a disappointing 13-21. During Vrabel’s best season in 2021, in which the team finished 12-5, the defense also ranked first in stopping the run, allowing a league lowest 83.5 yards per game. They repeated this feat the following year, but the Titans finished the season with only seven wins, due to a struggling Ryan Tannehill. During Vrabel’s tenure, the team did not rank in the top half of average time of possession during five of six seasons. Although, during that phenomenal 2021 season they ranked second, possessing the ball for just shy of 33 minutes a game.
Fewer Penalties
In his first four seasons, the Titans also ranked in the top half of the league in the least penalized teams, including being the least penalized squad during his first year in 2018. The Patriots struggled in this aspect this past year, where their 6.5 penalties per game pegged them among the league’s most penalized, though not as bad as the 2024 Titans, who ranked No. 2. The Patriots also allowed about two first downs per game due to penalties, a figure comparable to Vrabel’s time in Tennessee with the exception of 2021, where they ranked a league best 1.2 first downs due to penalties a game.
Drafting
While Mike Vrabel was not responsible for drafting in Tennessee, we can see some trends in the team’s philosophy through their selections. Across the six drafts that saw Vrabel in the Volunteer State, the team averaged taking one wide receiver per draft, with one in the first round (Treylon Burks, 2022), and one in the second round (A.J. Brown, 2019). The other four were selected in the fourth round or later. In five of six drafts, the Titans selected an offensive lineman in the first three rounds, including a first rounder in 2020 and 2023. They selected a defensive back in every draft but his last, and from 2020-2022 the franchise selected a cornerback specifically in one of the first two rounds. 18 of 38 draft picks over the time span were defensive players, a 47.4% rate. The first selection in each draft was split into three players on each side of the ball during the six drafts.
While it may not be as important for the Patriots, Vrabel selected a quarterback on four different occasions. Three of the four never made it through their rookie contract with the Titans, and while Will Levis only just finished year two, his odds of receiving a second contract are not good. While these drafts may be more of an indication of the (poor) performance of then General Manager Jon Robinson, it could be an indication of Vrabel’s stylistic ideas when it comes to the draft. Additionally, with the addition of Ryan Cowden to the front office, these drafts could be better. Cowden spent 2016-2022 with the Titans until he became a key figure in the Giants draft room in 2023. Following what looks to be an excellent draft for the Giants headlined by Malik Nabers, this is an encouraging addition; seemingly a Vrabel-approved hire.
I’d grade this hire a B at the moment. I think that it’s a solid move and I have the confidence he’ll build out a very solid staff. They will likely win more games than last year, contingent on Drake Maye’s development. Fingers crossed for Patriots fans; Vrabel is the next great head coach of this storied franchise.