New England Patriots - NESN.com
The Patriots are wrapping up their preseason against the New York Giants this Thursday at MetLife Stadium, and it sounds like head coach Mike Vrabel might be planning to play it safe with his starters.
With the regular season just around the corner, Vrabel and his staff probably already have a crystallized idea of what New England’s starting units will look like in Week 1 against the Las Vegas Raiders on September 7.
On Tuesday, ESPN’s Mike Reiss, who has been attending Patriots practices, provided a notable update related to Thursday’s preseason game.
“Opinion/analysis: The way practice ended, with starting players running sprints, and backups going through situational work, could be a tipoff to how Mike Vrabel will approach preseason finale Thursday,” Reiss posted on X. “Probably unusual to be pushing starters like that if they were going to play.”
It wouldn’t be at all surprising to see Vrabel sit his best players against the Giants. Traditionally, the last NFL preseason game is more or less a final tryout for the guys fighting for a roster spot. With cutdown day looming (August 26), Thursday’s game might not be of intense interest to casual fans, but it’ll be a pivotal night for players like Javon Baker to make a final impression on Vrabel and the staff.
New England continues to sculpt its roster. On Tuesday, the Patriots signed defensive tackle Philip Blidi and running back Micah Bernard while releasing defensive end Jereme Robinson and cornerback Tre Avery.
Don’t diminish the importance of every roster spot, even if the majority of New England’s roster is set in stone. With the way that injuries mount during an NFL season, every player on the depth chart matters.
Following the Week 1 battle with the Raiders at Gillette Stadium, the Patriots will travel to Miami for a Week 2 divisional game against the Dolphins. All hands will be on deck as New England attempts to get the Vrabel era off on the right foot.
