Patriots defense, not just Maye, makes New England a contender

Maye speaks at 4:10p Wednesday with Marcus Bryant and Khalil Jacobs eligible off IR and A.J. Brown set for first practice.

Wire Report IntelligenceUpdated 53m1 min read

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Patriots Wednesday 🎙️1:05p: Mike Vrabel 🔒🚪1:15p: Locker room 🏈2:10p: Practice 🔟4:10p: Drake Maye NOTES: LBs Robert Via @MikeReiss on X

What happened: New England listed Mike Vrabel at 1:05p, locker room at 1:15p, practice at 2:10p and Drake Maye at 4:10p Wednesday. LBs Robert Spillane (34) and Christian Elliss (32) lead the team in tackles. OT Marcus Bryant and LB Khalil Jacobs are eligible to practice off IR a second week, with a first practice for WR A.J. Brown.

Why it matters: Robert Spillane of the New England Patriots made 97 tackles with 1 sack and 2 interceptions in 13 games in 2025. Christian Elliss of the New England Patriots made 94 tackles in 15 games in 2025. Drake Maye of the New England Patriots threw for 4,394 yards with 31 touchdowns and 8 interceptions in 17 games in 2025, so complementary run stopping raises the ceiling.

Sources

@MikeReiss 2026-10-14T09:00:26.281157+00:00

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