Pats Pulpit
The New England Patriots’ training camp is underway. And while the first session was ultimately relatively uneventful, it was a first dipping of the toes into the 2026 waters for players, fans and media alike.
The tempo and intensity will obviously increase in the coming days and weeks, especially following the introduction of full pads. Before we focus on what lies ahead, however, let’s take one final look back at the week that was. Welcome to the latest installment of our Sunday Patriots Notes.
Despite the success the Patriots offense enjoyed in 2025, mostly in the regular season, it was still the first year of quarterback Drake Maye leading the Josh McDaniels-led unit. Now in their second season together, the hope is for the operation to become smoother, more efficient and: faster.
“Just continue to try to operate, be more urgent, get everybody functioning just a little bit quicker,” said head coach Mike Vrabel. “We want to go fast, whether we huddle or we go on the ball. Whatever that looks like, we want to be able to try to dictate the defense a little bit. The urgency in which we operate is something we’ve all talked about; the communication, always taking care of the ball.”
A faster operation should allow the Patriots to increase their number of snaps per game, and thus their ability to score points. Last season, despite ranking second in the league in scoring, New England ranked only 18th in plays per game (61.4).
That number is influenced by a variety of factors, but a speedier operation is part of it.
“We did a lot of great things on offense. We had a bunch of statistics, we did a bunch of things high in the league. We could even create more plays, snap the ball earlier in the play clock and get some things going,” said Maye.
“Getting us in the right play first. Getting set under center. Getting ready to get it in the gun. Just moving faster. We got a good play that we like against the defense, just train our guys to be, ‘Hey, once we get down on the football and get set, we’re going.’”
The Patriots did not have perfect attendance for their first practice of the summer on Saturday, but what they did have is more stability. Comparing the active rosters from the opening day of the team’s 2026 and 2025 training camps, we can see that 44 players are still around. That marks a slight increase compared to the previous two years: only 36 players remained on the team between 2024 and 2025.
That increase did not happen by accident. Last summer, after all, was Mike Vrabel’s first as head coach. He overhauled the roster significantly in Year 1 — a process that has slightly slowed down but, as evidenced by the still high turnover rate, remains ongoing.
Whether or not it will become an annual tradition remains to be...
