The Patriots have their new head coach in Mike Vrabel, as well as a revamped staff that includes Josh McDaniels and Terrell Willliams. 

But a stronger personnel crew along the sideline won’t be enough to drag New England out of the bottom of the AFC standings.

Even with the promise found in younger players like Drake Maye and Christian Gonzalez, New England still has several striking vacancies littered over their depth chart.

Eliot Wolf and the Patriots’ top brass should have plenty of resources at their disposal this offseason when it comes to shoring up the roster, be it the fourth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, additional draft capital, or the most projected cap space ($120 million) in the NFL. 

Still, the Patriots realistically aren’t going to be able to shore up every deficiency present on their roster — at least not this offseason.

So what should Wolf and Co. focus on when it comes to New England’s areas of needs this offseason?

Here’s a look at some of the top priorities for New England this offseason: 

It’s far from the flashiest area of the roster, especially when compared to other weaknesses on New England’s depth chart. 

But if the Patriots want to build a sustainable and effective offense for Maye moving forward, New England desperately needs some upgrades at the tackle position. 

A tackle tandem of Vederian Lowe and Demontrey Jacobs led to disaster in 2024, with New England allowing 52 sacks — the fifth-most in the NFL, and the most sacks allowed in New England over one year since 1999. 

According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, the Patriots ranked last in the NFL in pass block win rate (50.8%) this season. They also ranked last in run block win rate (67.6%), with Rhamondre Stevenson averaging a career-low 3.9 yards per carry. 

Be it selecting a top tackle prospect like Will Campbell or Kelvin Banks Jr. in the draft or shelling out a hefty deal to a franchise left tackle like Baltimore’s Ronnie Stanleyin free agency, New England needs to upgrade an O-line that at least should have several solid options in the interior between Mike Onwenu, Layden Robinson, David Andrews, and Cole Strange. 

The Patriots have their franchise QB in place with Maye, along with an innovative and established OC in McDaniels.

Now, New England actually has to give their best player some weapons.

Even with a few solid playmakers like Hunter Henry (674 receiving yards), DeMario Douglas (621 receiving yards), and Kayshon Boutte (589 receiving yards), New England is woefully short on at least two proven pass-catchers on this roster, especially in regards to a top-fight, No. 1 target. 

New England has not had a wide receiver reel in over 1,000 yards in a season since Julian Edelman accomplished the feat in 2019. That has to change in 2025 and beyond if Maye really wants to take flight as one of the top young QBs in the game. 

Be it signing a top free agent like Tee Higgins or Chris Godwin, drafting a wideout like Tetairoa McMillan, or swinging a trade for a proven star like Tyreek Hill or A.J. Brown, New England needs to elevate Maye’s supporting cast this offseason. 

New England’s defense regressed across the board in 2024, ranking 22nd in the NFL in yards allowed per game (343.4).

One of the main reasons why opponents regularly carved up New England’s defense was due to their QBs getting plenty of time and space to operate in the pocket. The Patriots finished dead last in the league in 2024 with just 28 sacks on the season. 

A game-wrecking pass rusher would make a huge difference for New England, with a star talent like Penn State’s Abdul Carter serving as a home-run draft selection if he manages to fall to the Patriots at No. 4. 

Unfortunately, Carter’s rising draft stock and New England’s ill-advised Week 18 win against the Bills might have ruined this team’s odds of landing him — forcing the team to look for talents like Josh Sweat in free agency.  

At first glance, the Patriots would seemingly have several intriguing options already in place up front for 2025 between Keion White and Christian Barmore.

But Barmore’s status for 2025 and beyond could be in doubt, especially with the talented defensive lineman still dealing with symptoms from his blood-clotting issues that sidelined his 2024 campaign. 

Barmore’s murky future could prompt New England to add some more stability up along the line of scrimmage, with Michigan’s Mason Graham standing as a strong contingency plan in the draft if Carter is selected before the Patriots get on the clock. 

A season-ending injury for Ja’Whaun Bentley in Week 2 was a devastating setback for a New England defense that was often discombobulated and struggled with stopping the run. Bentley’s return will be a welcome sight in Foxborough in 2025, but New England’s depth at linebacker behind Bentley is still very thin. 

Another every-down linebacker added to this roster would be a huge boost to this roster, with Eagles soon-to-be free agent Zach Baun standing as an intriguing option for a team with money to burn. 

Baun, 28, came out of nowhere en route to an All-Pro season in Philly, entering this weekend with 151 total tackles (tied for sixth), 3.5 sacks, five forced fumbles (second), and an interception. As noted by Boston.com’s Conor Roche, Baun’s 69 run stops were also the most in the league this season. 

The Patriots have a franchise cornerback in place in Christian Gonzalez. But New England desperately needs to pair him with another capable starting corner. 

New England has some solid depth at the position with players like Jonathan Jones and Alex Austin. But Jones will be 32 years old in September, and is probably better suited to be a slot corner at this stage of his career, rather than playing on the outside. 

New England could conceivably kill two birds with one stone by selecting reigning Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter in the upcoming draft. The Colorado product is capable of playing lockdown corner and also earning some snaps as a wide receiver. 

But much like Carter, New England’s drop from No. 1 to No. 4 on the draft leaderboard might have the Patriots out of the running for a blue-chip talent like Hunter.