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Mike Reiss
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 all the staff 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 below 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/help system.
And after the Patriots handed on deciding on a quarterback with every of their 11 draft picks, Wooldridge was signed to switch Joe Milton III, who was traded together with a seventh-round choose to the Cowboys for a fifth-round choose in early April.
Why Wooldridge?
Enable Ragin’ Cajuns head coach Michael Desormeaux to clarify.
“He is obsessive about being an ideal 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 type of guys as a pacesetter who was keen to do it and definitely demanded that everybody else do it. So I believe you are getting a ‘soccer man’ firstly, somebody who loves the sport.
“That is the sort of preparation it’s important to have on the quarterback place, and he additionally has all of the bodily instruments that you just want. He is an excellent athlete. He runs properly [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 method to the sport.”
The 6-foot-2, 214-pound Wooldridge, a local of Pleasanton, California, is an older rookie at 25 years outdated. 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 via the air, whereas including 447 dashing yards and 9 touchdowns on the bottom.
In 2024, he was named Solar Belt Convention Offensive Participant of the 12 months after amassing 2,453 yards and 17 touchdowns. His 66% completion proportion ranked twenty fourth in FBS and his 72.5 QBR ranked twenty eighth. One among 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.
Nevertheless, Wooldridge additionally had his justifiable share of accidents. He suffered an ACL tear in apply as a sophomore, a critical foot harm (Lisfranc) in his junior 12 months, a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder final season and later sustaining a collarbone harm.
Desormeaux credited Wooldridge’s toughness and willpower to maintain getting back from these setbacks. Apart from that, Desormeaux stated two issues that may have appealed to NFL groups such because the Patriots are his bodily make-up and knack for selecting up X’s and O’s.
“While you see him in individual, 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 in all probability anticipated,” he stated.
“Then you definitely 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 combos. He is very mature, desires to know the ‘why’ behind every part, 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 revealing 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 stated he’d be stunned if the Patriots have a Week 14 bye once more subsequent season.
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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 staff’s highest-paid participant can be one among its hardest employees, that may be a strong power. It looks like 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 attempting to guide by instance. Hopefully the fellows will see me working they usually’ll wish to comply with swimsuit. Attempting to convey everybody alongside to what we’re attempting to construct right here,” Williams stated.
Fellow defensive deal with Christian Barmore, for one, has been caught up within the present. They’ve a day by day competitors on who arrives earlier.
“He makes me work onerous,” Barmore stated.
4. Really feel for “Solid”: Episode 1 of the Patriots-produced “Solid in Foxborough” collection dropped Friday, with a heavy give attention to Vrabel and his imaginative and prescient for constructing the staff. It introduced viewers contained in the staff assembly room, the place quarterbacks Maye and Dobbs had been the lone gamers sitting within the middle entrance row, together with operating again Antonio Gibson.
A pleasant contact was additionally seeing a few of the staff’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 the perfect day throughout a Senior Bowl apply.
That in the end manifested itself with the Patriots choosing Williams within the third spherical.
5. Groups needed choose 38: One draft-day nugget revealed in “Solid in Foxborough” was that the Chicago Bears tried to maneuver as much as choose No. 38, providing choose 39 and a seventh-rounder to take action. The belief is that they needed operating again TreVeyon Henderson. The Patriots declined and took Henderson themselves.
In a distinct proposal, probably from Houston, the Patriots turned down a deal for choose 38 that will have given them 58, 79 and a 2025 third-rounder. One other element of be aware — the 2026 fourth-round choose they acquired in a commerce from Kansas Metropolis for choose No. 85 is the choice initially owned by Chicago, not the Chiefs’ unique choose.
Query: What’s completely 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 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 help as doable as soon as he begins spending extra time on the facility.
His current absences through the voluntary offseason program may clarify why the staff signed veteran Trayveon Williams to a one-year deal on Wednesday, including one other layer of depth to higher evenly distribute a few of the work.
7. They stated it: “Taking good care of my dad and mom was an enormous factor for me; ensuring that they will be good and do not must work as onerous as they have been working. Simply attempting 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
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 strong 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’ll 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 least one recreation final season. Eight groups had three completely different quarterbacks begin at the least one recreation.
