New head coach Mike Vrabel has an “emphasis” for the way he builds his teams that can lead the New England Patriots to signing two-time Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs left guard Trey Smith in 2025 NFL free agency.
The Pats adding the Pro Bowl interior offensive lineman feels “inevitable” after the arrival of Vrabel, according to Taylor Kyles of Patriots on CLNS.
Kyles believes “Vrabel’s emphasis on protecting the middle of the pocket will make the handling of LG interesting. Cole Strange and Layden Robinson have shown flashes, but neither has started a full season, and both have significant room to grow.”
Aside from Smith, Kyles also mentioned Baltimore Ravens starter Patrick Mekari as an “inevitable” target.
Both Mekari and Smith fit a physical profile the Patriots lacked during the 2024 season. Either would be a core building block for helping Vrabel construct the kind of hard-nosed team he put together with the Tennessee Titans between 2018-23.
Trey Smith a Game-Changing Bargain for Patriots
Signing Smith would represent a game-changing addition for a Patriots offensive line that experienced a significant decline this season.
Smith would restore the toughness and power-based blocking skills missing from the current group, and the 25-year-old could do it all for a bargain price.
The sixth-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft is playing on the last year of a contract worth $3,610,708, per Spotrac.com. He’s earning $902,677 annually, but Smith will know he can command far more on the open market.
As a Pro Bowler who helped the Chiefs win Super Bowls to cap the 2022 and ’23 seasons, Smith is primed for a big payday. The kind of payday a Patriots team projected to have a league-leading $127,684,793 worth of space under the salary cap could provide.
Giving up a decent chunk of that cash would be worth it for Smith. He is one of the most-effective players at his position in all of football, particularly in the running game.
Smith is outstanding blocking for trap runs, like this one highlighted by former NFL guard Geoff Schwartz against Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Markees Watts (58) back in Week 9.
The Patriots used to run these kind of traps and counter plays for fun as part of a power-style running game. Things changed this season when Alex Van Pelt became the offensive coordinator and installed zone-rushing schemes, but Vrabel is likely to have other ideas.
Mike Vrabel Will Change Patriots Offense
Those ideas will include a more straight-ahead, man-on-man ground attack. It’s what Vrabel oversaw when Derrick Henry became a star with the Titans.
Lead Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson is not in Henry’s class, but he’s a bruiser who can punish defenses and keep the chains moving in the right system. That system will get a new play-caller after Van Pelt was let go along with previous head coach Jerod Mayo, but the emphasis of the offense will remain the same.
It’s an emphasis based on protecting dynamic quarterback Drake Maye. Smith would keep 2024 third-overall pick Maye clean the way he has Patrick Mahomes for the Chiefs.
This rep against Cleveland Browns edge-rusher and 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett showed Smith at his best in pass protection. As Ben Fennell of CBS Sports put it, “You don’t see many OL stone/toss Garrett on that rip move. Didn’t line up here often but this is Gladiator stuff.”
Smith would be the ideal marquee signing the Patriots need to restore pride and add some brute force to the trenches. He’d also set the tone for how Vrabel intends to rebuild the franchise.
