Mike Vrabel and Eliot Wolf have built a solid foundation over the last year, but there's a glaring weakness emerging at two critical positions: running back and safety. The Patriots' depth chart at both spots reads like a collection of question marks, and with the draft just around the corner, this isn't a problem that fixes itself through hope.
At running back, TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson form a serviceable one-two punch, but the falloff after that is steep. Deneric Prince, Terrell Jennings, Elijah Mitchell, and Lan Larison round out the room—a bunch of fringe contributors and lottery tickets. None of them have proven they can shoulder a significant workload if injuries strike. The NFL's moving toward committee approaches at the position, sure, but there's a difference between planned rotation and desperation depth. If Henderson or Stevenson goes down, the Patriots aren't one injury away from a capable backup—they're one injury away from cycling through bodies.
The safety situation is equally concerning. Kevin Byard III is a legitimate veteran presence, but after that, the roster gets thin fast. Jaylinn Hawkins, Dell Pettus, Brenden Schooler, Mike Brown, Craig Woodson, and John Saunders Jr. make up a group that lacks proven consistency at the NFL level. In a league where safeties handle coverage, communication, and serve as the quarterback of the secondary, this depth scares you. One starter going down and you're asking unproven commodities to learn on the fly.
The good news? The 2026 draft class is loaded at both positions. This is exactly why Vrabel and Wolf should be aggressive early, especially at safety where a versatile, intelligent player can transform a secondary. Running back might wait until day two or three, but safety? That's a first or second-round conversation. The Patriots have built competence at their skill positions and the trenches—don't stumble at the finish line by ignoring the obvious.