Jack Westover is back. The fullback is sticking around for 2026, and frankly, this move makes all the sense in the world for a Patriots team trying to build a functional run game around Drake Maye's development. Westover isn't flashy. He won't make SportsCenter. But he's exactly the kind of chess piece Mike Vrabel values in his system—a two-way player who can line up at fullback or H-back and actually move bodies in both run and pass protection.
Here's the thing that gets me fired up: we've spent two years trying to find legitimate depth at multiple positions, and Westover offers exactly that. He's experienced. He knows the Patriots system. He understands what Josh McDaniels wants schematically. In a year when we're still evaluating talent around Drake Maye, having a proven veteran who doesn't take up massive cap space and fills multiple roster needs is smart business. Eliot Wolf isn't throwing money at problems—he's solving them with intelligence.
The fullback position felt like a relic after the Belichick era, but Vrabel's offensive framework has already signaled we're returning to power run concepts. Rhamondre Stevenson needs a lead blocker. Our offensive line is solid but not spectacular. Westover is the connective tissue that makes Maye's life easier on play-action shots and gives us legitimate run-game credibility. That matters more than people realize in January football.
This isn't a splash signing. It's not meant to be. It's a floor-raiser—the kind of move that separates playoff teams from pretenders come late November. We get depth, scheme continuity, and a guy who can play multiple roles. Sometimes the best free agency moves are the ones nobody talks about but every coach circles on his whiteboard.