ClutchPoints
On his first day on the job as the New England Patriots head coach, Mike Vrabel already knows that the team’s top priority is – and it will make Drake Maye happy to hear.
The new Patriots head coach pointed to the offensive line as the team’s top need when asked what he viewed as New England’s top priority entering the offseason.
“I think that player acquisition, you look at what’s available in free agency and what you like (that) you can sign and then see where you come out of that,” Vrabel told reporters. “Certainly, you look at the teams that are able to protect the quarterback and dictate the flow of the game offensively, making sure that up front we’re sound, we’re strong, whether that’s through free agency or the draft, that’s something that’s critical.
“The D-linemen, they’re getting better every year. They’re getting more disruptive. They’re getting bigger, more powerful. So as they try to disrupt our quarterback, we have to have some things that counterbalance that.”
Vrabel already seems to know his team’s personnel pretty well. The Patriots’ offensive line was a mess last season, both from a health and performance standpoint. They had nine different starting offensive line combinations, starting a different combination in each of the first seven games as players rotated in and out of the lineup due to injury.
Once the health of the offensive line stabilized, though, the Patriots’ protection didn’t improve, as they finished last in Pro Football Focus’ offensive line rankings. The unit allowed 52 sacks, which was tied for the fifth-most in the NFL. Their offensive tackles were particularly bad, with left tackle Vederian Lowe allowing five sacks in 14 games and right tackle Demontrey Jacobs allowing nine sacks in 15 games.
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