FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Fast-hit ideas and notes across the New England Patriots and NFL:
1. Revamped QB room: Former Patriots coach Invoice Belichick as soon as shared the philosophy that if all ranges of the quarterback depth chart aren’t accounted for, it places the complete crew in danger. Such is the significance of the place.
With that in thoughts, the Patriots’ new-look quarterback room — particularly with undrafted rookie Ben Wooldridge of the College of Louisiana stepping right into a developmental No. 3 position — has considerably flown underneath the radar.
Drake Maye is entrenched because the starter and primed to have the “C” on his jersey as a first-time Patriots captain in his second season. Joshua Dobbs was signed to a two-year, $8 million deal as a free agent to function his veteran mentor/assist system.
And after the Patriots handed on choosing a quarterback with every of their 11 draft picks, Wooldridge was signed to exchange Joe Milton III, who was traded together with a seventh-round decide to the Cowboys for a fifth-round decide in early April.
Why Wooldridge?
Enable Ragin’ Cajuns head coach Michael Desormeaux to elucidate.
“He is obsessive about being a terrific soccer participant. I’ve by no means been round somebody who’s as diligent and disciplined as he’s,” Desormeaux advised ESPN. “He set the tone for us together with his work ethic and management — a kind of guys as a frontrunner who was keen to do it and positively demanded that everybody else do it. So I believe you are getting a ‘soccer man’ at the start, somebody who loves the sport.
“That is the form of preparation it’s a must to have on the quarterback place, and he additionally has all of the bodily instruments that you simply want. He is a great athlete. He runs nicely [4.81 in the 40-yard dash at pro day]. He has the arm power to make all of the throws, however I believe what units Ben aside is his psychological preparation and strategy to the sport.”
Editor’s Picks
2 Associated
The 6-foot-2, 214-pound Wooldridge, a local of Pleasanton, California, is an older rookie at 25 years previous. He spent seven years in faculty — three at Fresno State, the final 4 at Louisiana.
In 24 video games with the Ragin’ Cajuns, he completed with 4,622 passing yards and 37 touchdowns by way of the air, whereas including 447 speeding yards and 9 touchdowns on the bottom.
In 2024, he was named Solar Belt Convention Offensive Participant of the yr after amassing 2,453 yards and 17 touchdowns. His 66% completion share ranked twenty fourth in FBS and his 72.5 QBR ranked twenty eighth. One in all Wooldridge’s signature performances got here final season in a 41-38 win over Wake Forest, when he threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns.
Nonetheless, Wooldridge additionally had his fair proportion of accidents. He suffered an ACL tear in apply as a sophomore, a severe foot harm (Lisfranc) in his junior yr, a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder final season and later sustaining a collarbone harm.
Desormeaux credited Wooldridge’s toughness and dedication to maintain getting back from these setbacks. Except for that, Desormeaux mentioned two issues which may have appealed to NFL groups such because the Patriots are his bodily make-up and knack for choosing up X’s and O’s.
“Once you see him in particular person, you see how well-built he’s — he seems to be the half [32-inch arm length, 78¾ wingspan], and I believe his arm power was higher than folks most likely anticipated,” he mentioned.
“Then you definately spend 5 minutes with him and also you’re blown away together with his soccer intelligence. His understanding of what we did — I might say it was mastery of our offense. He dealt with run IDs and would name out the mixtures. He is very mature, desires to know the ‘why’ behind every little thing, and is aggressive as heck.”
2. Three straight on highway: The Patriots launched their 2025 schedule Wednesday. One side that naturally stood out from the disclosing was a stretch of three straight highway video games in October (Buffalo Payments, New Orleans Saints, Tennessee Titans).
How uncommon is that?
The Ravens and Titans are the one different groups to have a three-games-in-a-row stretch on the highway this season. The Titans’ trio ( Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals, Las Vegas Raiders) comes earlier than they host the Patriots on Oct. 19 in Mike Vrabel’s extremely anticipated return to Nashville.
In the meantime, after back-to-back years with the Week 14 bye, NFL vice chairman of broadcast planning Mike North mentioned he’d be shocked if the Patriots have a Week 14 bye once more subsequent season.
0:36
Schefter: Christian Barmore cleared for soccer exercise
Adam Schefter studies that Patriots DT Christian Barmore is cleared to play after lacking most of final season due to blood clots.
3. Williams units tone: When a crew’s highest-paid participant can be certainly one of its hardest staff, that may be a robust pressure. It looks as if that’s taking part in out behind the scenes with free agent signing Milton Williams, who has been a daily participant within the voluntary offseason program.
“I am making an attempt to steer by instance. Hopefully the fellows will see me working and so they’ll need to comply with swimsuit. Making an attempt to convey everybody alongside to what we’re making an attempt to construct right here,” Williams mentioned.
Fellow defensive sort out Christian Barmore, for one, has been caught up within the present. They’ve a each day competitors on who arrives earlier.
“He makes me work onerous,” Barmore mentioned.
4. Really feel for “Solid”: Episode 1 of the Patriots-produced “Solid in Foxborough” sequence dropped Friday, with a heavy concentrate on Vrabel and his imaginative and prescient for constructing the crew. It introduced viewers contained in the crew assembly room, the place quarterbacks Maye and Dobbs have been the lone gamers sitting within the middle entrance row, together with working again Antonio Gibson.
A pleasant contact was additionally seeing among the crew’s unsung scouts on the highway, akin to Tucker Ingraham (nationwide), Matt Evans (nationwide) and J.T. Hill (West), and the way Hill famous Washington State receiver Kyle Williams having one of the best day throughout a Senior Bowl apply.
That finally manifested itself with the Patriots selecting Williams within the third spherical.
5. Groups wished decide 38: One draft-day nugget revealed in “Solid in Foxborough” was that the Chicago Bears tried to maneuver as much as decide No. 38, providing decide 39 and a seventh-rounder to take action. The idea is that they wished working again TreVeyon Henderson. The Patriots declined and took Henderson themselves.
In a unique proposal, probably from Houston, the Patriots turned down a deal for decide 38 that may have given them 58, 79 and a 2025 third-rounder. One other element of notice — the 2026 fourth-round decide they acquired in a commerce from Kansas Metropolis for decide No. 85 is the choice initially owned by Chicago, not the Chiefs’ unique decide.
Query: What’s totally different about Josh McDaniels because you final labored with him in 2021?
Kendrick Bourne (with a smile): “He seems to be nice. Actually good. I used to be simply telling him that – teasing him. I really like his vitality.” pic.twitter.com/apdqDkrDtM
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) Might 13, 2025
6. Rhamondre’s heartache: Working again Rhamondre Stevenson’s father, Robert, handed away in March at age 54. Stevenson additionally misplaced his childhood buddy, Brandan Harley, final season. Understanding that Stevenson has skilled sudden and heartbreaking losses in a brief time frame, teammates privately say they hope to offer him as a lot assist as doable as soon as he begins spending extra time on the facility.
His latest absences in the course of the voluntary offseason program may clarify why the crew signed veteran Trayveon Williams to a one-year deal on Wednesday, including one other layer of depth to raised evenly distribute among the work.
7. They mentioned it: “Taking good care of my mother and father was a giant factor for me; ensuring that they’ll be good and do not need to work as onerous as they have been working. Simply making an attempt to pay it again to them.” — Williams, on his four-year, $104 million contract, and what he was capable of do with it that had beforehand been out of attain
Better of NFL Nation
• How the Giants ended up with trio of QBs• Shilo Sanders paving his personal manner with Bucs• Can the O-line maintain up for the Raiders?• 49ers hoping for improved particular groups• Packers’ CB corps — with or with out Jaire
8. Mack’s rap: Former Patriots linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. wrote and sang the “18 Bars” rap track as a part of the Cardinals’ schedule launch. Wilson had a stable debut season in Arizona in 2024 — totaling 75 tackles and three sacks — after taking part in in New England from 2022-23.
9. Do you know? Half I: The Patriots have prime-time video games at dwelling towards the New York Jets (Nov. 13) and the New York Giants (Dec. 1), marking the fourth time they are going to face the Jets and Giants in prime time in the identical season (1987, 1999, 2019).
10. Do you know? Half II: A complete of 59 quarterbacks began at the very least one sport final season. Eight groups had three totally different quarterbacks begin at the very least one sport.
