Game Of Throws: Patriots a popular pick to be NFL’s most improved team

Drake Maye is the next Tom Brady.

Mike Vrabel is the next Bill Belichick.

Efton Chism III is the next star slot wide receiver ready to follow in the footsteps of Wes Welker, Danny Amendola, and Julian Edelman.

The Patriot Way is officially back in 2025!

Okay fine, there will never be another Brady or Belichick.

But the jury is still out on Chism after he made the 53-man roster for the New England Patriots following an impressive training camp and pre-season.

And New England is considered one of the league’s most improved teams heading into the 2025 NFL season.

Of course, there’s nowhere to go but up after the Patriots went 4-13 and finished in the AFC East basement for the second year in a row.

Anybody who doubted me when I wrote that Jerod Mayo wasn’t the right choice to succeed Belichick as the head coach in New England eventually figured it out.

Now Vrabel arrives with an intriguing second-year QB in Maye, quality coordinators in Josh McDaniels and Terrell Williams, and an overhauled roster after the Patriots upgraded in free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft.

New England signed Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins, then drafted Kyle Williams in the third round to compete with Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte at receiver.

Tight ends Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper are back, but neither will lead the Patriots in receiving yards one year after Henry accomplished that feat with just 674 in 2024.

New England also drafted running back TreVeyon Henderson in the second round with the hope that he can provide a much-needed spark as both a runner and a receiving option.

Henderson to win AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year has been a popular pick as he’s down to +1400 as the sixth choice to win that award at FanDuel.

While the Patriots have upgraded significantly at wide receiver and running back, the rebuild on offence started with the offensive line.

New England signed tackle Morgan Moses and centre Garrett Bradbury as priority free agent additions.

Then the Patriots used the fourth overall pick to secure their left tackle Will Campbell out of LSU.

Campbell is the highest drafted lineman in franchise history, and he’s expected to provide an immediate upgrade as Maye’s blindside protector as a rookie.

Meanwhile, Vrabel targeted defensive tackle Milton Williams, linebackers Harold Landry and Robert Spillane, safety Marcus Epps and cornerback Carlton Landry as free agent upgrades on defence.

Williams told reporters that Vrabel wants “violent” players on the defensive side of the football.

The combination of free agent signings, a deep and talented rookie class, as well as a pair of experienced coordinators under the new head coach Vrabel has been enough to convince the betting public New England will be one of the league’s most improved teams.

Per the FanDuel traders, 76.1 per cent of the bets on the Patriots regular season win totals have been on the over. 73.8 per cent of the bets on New England’s exact finish position in the AFC East have been on second place.

Meanwhile, four in every five bets on Maye’s regular season passing yards prop have been on the over.

Patriots’ fans and fantasy football league managers also can’t wait to see McDaniels call more designed runs for his second-year QB.

In case you missed it, I circled Vrabel to win AP NFL Coach of the Year at +750 earlier this summer.

If New England lives up to expectations as one of the most improved teams in the NFL, it will be difficult to look at any coach other than Vrabel to win the award.

The Patriots might not be ready to challenge the Buffalo Bills for an AFC East crown just yet.

However, nobody will be surprised if New England ultimately improves its regular season win total by three or four and ends up on the short list of AFC playoff contenders by the time that December rolls around.

I’ll stick with Vrabel to win Coach of the Year as my favourite bet for the 2025 Patriots.