Mike Vrabel Addresses Rumor About Patriots Adding New Exec

Almost immediately after the Patriots hired Mike Vrabel, there was a report about who the new head coach could bring with him to New England.

According to Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson, Ryan Cowden is expected to be added to New England’s “personnel mix” with Vrabel now atop the coaching totem pole. Cowden worked with Vrabel in Tennessee, where the former served multiple front office roles before joining the Giants. Most recently, Cowden was New York’s executive advisor to general manager Joe Schoen.

Vrabel was asked about the Cowden report at his introductory press conference Monday at Gillette Stadium.

“Eliot (Wolf) and I will have conversations,” Vrabel told reporters, per a team-provided transcript. “As it relates to the staff, nothing’s been finalized. Nothing’s been determined. As with any staff, there’s going to be turnover. There’s going to be new coaches and new faces, some that I will have history with and some that I won’t. That’s what the interview process is, and that’s what we’re going to do, as Tom mentioned, with the coordinators and being able to sit down with a bunch of coaches and being able to get the best and the right fit around our players.”

Robinson on Sunday reported Wolf is expected to keep personnel power with the Patriots and Cowden will not receive the general manager title in New England. But as Vrabel made clear, there’s still a lot to figure out at One Patriot Place in wake of its second coach change in as many years.

The Patriots will need strong performances from whoever is calling shots, though, as New England’s roster currently doesn’t come close to stacking up with the NFL’s best.