Pats Pulpit
Notes and thoughts on the Patriots’ one-time captain, defensive line investments, trade speculation, and more.
With the second week of organized team activities in the rear-view mirror, the New England Patriots’ offseason keeps rolling along. And even though we find ourselves in what is often referred to as a quiet time on the NFL calendar, there is still plenty going on around One Patriot Place.
With that in mind, let’s clean out the notebook on the week that was. Welcome to the latest edition of our Sunday Patriots Notes.
One of Mike Vrabel’s main goals in his first offseason as Patriots head coach was rebuilding the locker room after some cultural erosion in 2024. A part in that was replacing the previous leadership: of the six original captains from last season, five will not be back in New England this year.
The lone exception is safety Jabrill Peppers. And while his long-term future also is uncertain given his age and lack of previous ties to Vrabel and his staff, it seems the 29-year-old is picking up right where he left off: he remains a tone-setter on the defensive side of the ball, something his new head coach is pleased to see.
“I love Jabrill’s energy,” Vrabel told reporters earlier this week. “I like his passion for the game. I like his energy when he comes in the building. Those things are all very positive.”
Peppers entered the first offseason under Vrabel coming off what might have been the most difficult season of his career. While he was voted a first-time captain and his usual productive self on the field, he also dealt with some off-field issues after an arrest in October and subsequent stint on the NFL’s commissioner’s exempt list.
He did eventually return to the active roster, but had his captain’s status removed. To make matters even worse, Peppers was done for the year after just two more games; a hamstring injury forced him out of the Patriots’ final three contests.
With the injury and his legal uncertainty both behind him, Peppers is now full-steam ahead toward the 2025 season — and back in his element.
“I love this game, it’s a big passion for me, and I just show that,” he explained. “Trying to lead by example, be a guy. Do what the coaches say every time that I’m supposed to do it, so that the young guys have something to follow and keep the standard. That’s never going to change no matter who comes in here. The standard’s the standard.”
Safety Craig Woodson expressed confidence in his ability to transition from college to the NFL after getting selected by the Patriots in the fourth round of this year’s draft. So far, it seems that his optimism was not misplaced.
With projected starting safety Kyle Dugger limited, Woodson has been actively involved in the two organized team activities open to the...
