The New England Patriots , a franchise built on the granite foundation of defensive identity, are now staring into that silence, and Mike Vrabel’s chisel is poised to strike. After a full offseason of work, sitting at a pristine 2-0 in the preseason, only one preseason game remains. It’s a final chance for a slew of players hoping to stand out to the new coaching staff and make the initial 53-man roster.

Vrabel might have to first break pieces of the old one. The very players who were once part of the solution—veterans with 424 tackles and 9 interceptions between them—are now on the wrong side of the bubble, their past contributions overshadowed by present-day scheme fits and a relentless, new standard.

As VP of Player Personnel, Eliot Wolf stated , navigating these difficult decis

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