#mike-vrabel

#mike-vrabel

The head coaching turnover in the NFL over the last few years has been quite historic, with some teams deciding to let go of trusted leaders in hopes of getting back on track with a new staff for the following season. The Patriots are among those teams, as they moved on from Bill Belichick after two decades, which was certainly one of the more surprising decisions of the 2023 offseason.

He had been vocal throughout last season about the lack of proper coaching from Jerod Mayo's inexperienced staff, which might have led to his underwhelming year and firmly put him in the hot seat this offseason. However, he wasn't able to impress Vrabel and Co. in the weeks leading to the season opener on Sunday and was quickly moved down the depth chart because of it.

Depending on who you asked, there was a fit for any of the three players on the team, and the new regime could potentially pull off a trade for any one of them, regardless of the steep price. That was made apparent when Parsons was the last one standing, and it was clear the Cowboys weren't going to let him go easily. Because of his age and trajectory to becoming a future Hall of Famer, he became a front-runner in the eyes of Patriots fans, as he would drastically elevate the defense to new heights and address one of their weakest groups over the last several years.

Over the last few years, the Patriots have been a team more focused on adding superstar players to their roster rather than already having them on the team. With the exception of a few, like cornerback Christian Gonzalez, not many have been deemed desirable for other teams to call about, which made it surprising to hear that Mike Vrabel and Co. were hoping to get a few trades done before roster cutdowns. It was more surprising to find out who some of those players were, one of whom was longtime starting safety Kyle Dugger.