Sunday Patriots Notes: Mike Vrabel aims to enhance team culture ahead of offseason program

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 11: Head coach Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots stands on the sidelines during the second quarter of an NFL wild card playoff football game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Gillette Stadium on January 11, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The NFL offseason continues to roll on, but the action will soon pickup for the New England Patriots with the NFL Draft around the corner shortly after player report to the facility for the start of the offseason program.

The focus here on Pats Pulpit has been centered around the draft and profiling potential Patriots draft fits. For anything that fell through the cracks, let’s clean out the notebook. Welcome to this week’s edition of our Sunday Patriots Notes.

Culture changes

Kevin Byard has seen Mike Vrabel establish a culture before.

The All-Pro safety was entering his fourth NFL season in Tennessee when the Titans hired Vrabel back in 2018. Byard’s Titans’ team was coming off a playoff appearance, but that did not stop Vrabel from immediately implementing his way of doing things.

“He came in and changed our culture immediately,” Byard said. “I remember our first team meeting with Vrabel. We had our first OTA practice and it was kind of a jog-through. And Taylor Lewan, who was one of the best left tackles in the league at the time — I want to say he was in the middle of contract negotiations — and [Vrabel] ripped him.

“It was like, ‘Whoa.’ It was kind of a shock to everybody because it was like, man, that’s our top player. That was kind of the first thing he said, and I think it set the tone that everybody in this building will be held accountable.”

Arriving to New England last season, Vrabel quickly got to work establishing his culture and identity. He requested that players not to take themselves too seriously and introduced the 4 H’s — hometown, heartbreak, hero and hope — in team meetings over the offseason.

During the spring, Vrabel led a team-building exercise in which players who typically would not have a relationship were paired together to work through an obstacle course blindfolded.

“At the moment, I was like, ‘What are we doing?’ But through that, you saw guys come together and create camaraderie,” said cornerback Carlton Davis, who was teamed up with DeMario Douglas.

That camaraderie became a driving force behind the Patriots exceeding expectations last season and reaching Super Bowl LX. Veterans like Davis described New England’s locker room as the closest group they had ever been a part of.

Players around the league took notice — and wanted in.

“I think it comes down to Vrabel coming in and establishing that culture where everybody has real love for each other, wants to play for each other, and wants to do everything they can on that field,” free agent addition Alijah Vera-Tucker said. All those factors came into play in the decision to come here.”

“I was like ‘Wow’, they look like they have fun playing together,” Reggie Gilliam recalled when playing against the Patriots last season.

Coming off a Super Bowl appearance, Byard hopes to help sustain the winning culture remain in his first season in New England. But as players report to the facility on April 20 for the start of the offseason program, Vrabel knows some adjustments will be necessary.

“I don’t think you build a new culture. I think you just try to enhance the culture and believe in the identity — honesty, connection, respect, accountability, winning, competitiveness,” he explained. “Those aren’t up on a wall anywhere. Those are just what we want to be as people and then try to make connections on the stuff that we feel is important.”

Integrating new additions like Byard and the rest of the free agent class will be key to enhancing that culture. The rest will require deliberate effort, as building continuity in the locker room remains an ongoing process — not something that carries over automatically from one season to the next.

“I just think we spend a lot of time together and we all come from different backgrounds,” Vrabel said. “Some players are going to be coming back, some of them are new. We’re going to add rookies and other players to the team. So, continue to try to find ways to do that without being — never want to make it a gimmick. That’s important to me, that it’s not gimmicky, that what we do is authentic and real and genuine.”

Guard interest

The Patriots are wrapping up 30 visits with less than two weeks until the NFL Draft. While the team will not select every player they have into the facility, the visits can forecast positions of interest for the team. Of late, that interest has been at guard. New England is set to host projected first-round Emmanuel Pregnon (Oregon) to the facility this upcoming week, according to Draft Analyst Tony Pauline. The Patriots also wanted to host projected first- or second-round guard Chase Bisontis (Texas A&M), but were not able to schedule a visit due to reported time constraints.

Among the visits conducted this past week included Auburn guard Jeremiah Wright, who visited on Thursday and will be more of an option on Day 3 of the draft.

After signing Alijah Vera-Tucker to a three-year, $42 million deal in free agency to play with Mike Onwenu along the inside, guard does not project as a pressing need in this year’s draft. New England has not touched Onwenu’s contract this offseason, however, which carries no guaranteed money in the final year while the 29-year old is due a $17.5 million cash payout.

Delp in town

The Patriots are expected to draft a tight end in the upcoming weeks. Mike Vrabel may prefer taking even more than one.

“I love them. Give me nine of them. Get them all. Bring as many tight ends as we can get,” Vrabel joked earlier this month.

This past Tuesday, the team hosted Georgia tight end Oscar Delp on a pre-draft visit. Delp’s production was relatively modest at Georgia, but the 6-5, 245-pound tight end is an impressive athlete as he was clocked with a 4.49-second 40-yard dash at Georgia’s pro day last month. He did not participate in testing at the Combine due to a hairline fracture in his left foot. Delp is currently projected to be a Day 2 pick.

Rookie dates

With the 2026 NFL Draft concluding on Saturday, April 25, it won’t be long before New England’s rookie class takes the field in Foxboro. Rookie minicamp landed on the team’s offseason schedule for Friday, May 8 through Sunday, May 10. At least one day is expected to be open to the media.

Personnel protector

The Patriots traded away former third-round Marte Mapu this past week. Mapu’s loss will be felt the most on special teams as he was a regular across five units (58% of snaps) and took on a big role as the punt unit’s personnel protector.

Dell Pettus is a candidate to move back to that position after he held it as a rookie in 2024, but underrated free agent addition Mike Brown will also firmly be in the mix. Brown previously held the personnel protector role in Tennessee, quickly being awarded the job under Vrabel and special team coordinator Tom Quinn, who now serves as Jeremy Springer’s assistant in New England.

Maye’s Masters

Drake Maye’s latest stop in busy offseason was in Augusta, Georgia this weekend for The Masters. Maye, who’s handicap is down around a seven, went Under the Umbrellas with his wife Ann Michael to discuss last season, moving to the Boston area following the 2024 NFL Draft, and more.

Setting up the week ahead

As the Patriots will continue to wrap up their draft preparation, executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf will hold the team’s annual pre-draft press conference on Monday, April 13 at 2:00 p.m. ET. That will take place inside the Patriots brand new New Balance Athletic Center.