Mike Vrabel spent the hours after the Patriots beat the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21 talking less about the score than about what it exposed. He said he does not think the Patriots have a very deep team, and that judgment now hangs over how they handle the final week of the preseason.
That is why Patriots roster concerns Mike Vrabel are being searched now: the Patriots are already down to their last tune-up, and the coach has to decide whether to keep using his top players or protect them. Vrabel said the team has to make sure it is preparing its football team and keeping its best players available, and added that if playing Thursday is part of that preparation, then that is what the Patriots will do.
The timing matters because the Patriots have already taken a cautious path with their starters around Drake Maye. They played no snaps in the preseason games against the Colts and the Eagles, instead getting work in three combined joint practices. That leaves Thursday night in Cleveland as the last chance to see how much more, if anything, Vrabel wants from that group before the regular season begins to take shape.
The roster questions are not limited to the offense as a whole. They have been sharpened by injuries along the line, starting with Marcus Bryant, who injured his ankle on the opening drive against the Eagles. Ben Brown and Andrew Rupcich were also among the banged-up offensive linemen, and that is part of the reason depth looks fragile even after a win.
Vrabel did not settle the biggest question before leaving Saturday night. He said he has not made the decision yet on whether to play Thursday, and that uncertainty is the point now. The Patriots can still choose to treat the finale as another step in preparation, but they can also choose to guard the players they already know they need. The next move will say more about how thin this roster feels than the final preseason score ever could.
