Mike Vrabel is sticking by New England Patriots tackle Will Campbell after the first round pick had a nightmare night during Super Bowl LX.
For the most part, the Patriots' 2025 season will be one to remember. After a second straight 4-13 finish in 2024, the team underwent one of the best worst-to-first turnarounds that the NFL has seen in a very long time. Under the guidance of new head coach Mike Vrabel, New England won 14 games and went all the way to this year's Super Bowl.
It was a magical journey for a rebuilding team that was far ahead of schedule. However, midnight came in their Cinderella story at Super Bowl LX. For almost the entirety of Sunday's game, the Patriots were pushed around and beaten up by the Seattle Seahawks en route to a 29-13 loss.
While several key players had rough days at the office, including MVP candidate Drake Maye , the most notable was probably rookie offensive tackle Will Campbell. The fourth overall pick in the draft had a very good debut season and was a major part of stabilizing what was a bad Patriots offensive line a year ago.
However, the youngster struggled during the postseason. And the NFL Championship game was a low point as he gave up one sack, allowed four quick pressures (which are allowed in less than three seconds), and was responsible for 14 pressures overall. His inability to slow down Seattle's pass rush on his side of the line was a key part of why Maye and the offense had such a bad night.
Following the game, there were many calls from Patriots Nation to move Campbell out of such an important position on the line to either guard or center next season. However, the team's head coach has no plans to do that in 2026.
"We're not moving him to guard, to center, to tight end or anywhere else," Vrabel definitely said during his Tuesday press conference with New England media .
The coach's stance is not surprising. Was Campbell mostly bad in the playoffs, especially in the Super Bowl? Yes. However, those four games mean forgetting his effective play throughout the regular season as a rookie, at a tough position. Furthermore, he is only 22 years old. He can and should get better in the years ahead.
Vrabel made Campbell his first pick as the head coach of the Patriots, and it would be stunning if he gave up on the prospect as an NFL tackle after a bad month of play against elite competition.
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