The New England Patriots won’t have to wait long to find out whether Mike Vrabel’s preferred identity has carried over from the summer.
Four days before a Super Bowl LX rematch with the Seattle Seahawks, Vrabel pointed directly at the trenches when asked about the growth of defensive tackles Milton Williams, Christian Barmore and Cory Durden.
Vrabel said during his Sept. 5 press conference that he felt the group’s impact during the second joint practice with Philadelphia in August. He then widened the message to both sides of the ball, saying the offensive and defensive lines have to be the “identity soldiers” of New England’s team.
“They have to carry that style of play and that demeanor,” Vrabel said, adding that he hopes the group continues to do so.
The wording gives New England’s defensive front an especially fitting Week 1 assignment. Seattle’s run game was one of the areas that got away from the Patriots when the teams last met with a championship at stake.
Vrabel Points to Patriots’ ‘Identity Soldiers’
Vrabel’s reference to the second Philadelphia practice lines up with what New England saw on the field that day.
Patriots.com reported that the defense responded after a tough first joint session, when Philadelphia had found consistent room on the ground. Williams, Durden and Leonard Taylor III were credited with regularly meeting Saquon Barkley near the line of scrimmage on Day 2, turning some of the bigger gains from the previous practice into shorter runs.
Meanwhile, Williams, Barmore and Durden enter the season as the Patriots’ clear top three on the interior.
Williams and Barmore combined for 87 quarterback pressures during the 2025 season, per a Patriots.com position preview, even though Williams missed five games. They also combined for 5.5 sacks while serving as the main feature of a defensive front that became one of New England’s strengths.
Durden’s place in the group has grown. Khyiris Tonga left in free agency, and Durden worked between Williams and Barmore at nose tackle in base packages this spring. Patriots.com noted that his role was expected to expand, and he ultimately made the initial 53-man roster as part of a five-man interior group.
Vrabel’s “identity soldiers” description now puts a label on what the Patriots expect from that unit once the games count.
Super Bowl Run Defense Checks Patriots Quality
The last meeting also gives the phrase some heat.
Seattle rushed for 141 yards in its 29-13 win over New England in Super Bowl LX. Kenneth Walker III accounted for 135 of those yards on 27 carries and was named Super Bowl MVP. NFL.com noted that it was the highest rushing total by a Super Bowl MVP running back since Terrell Davis in 1998.
The Patriots’ own postgame review highlighted where the damage happened. Walker gained 114 yards on 21 attempts outside the tackles, with Seattle repeatedly finding room on the edges against a New England defense that had been much stronger against the run earlier in the postseason.
Walker is no longer in Seattle, but the lesson persists. Vrabel said in the same Sept. 5 press conference that Seahawks running back Jadarian Price has “great speed” and will “test edges,” a direct connection to the zone that hurt New England in February.
The Patriots open the season at Lumen Field on Sept. 9 in what the team notes will be the first Wednesday game in franchise history.
For Williams, Barmore and Durden, the opener surfaces an occasion to make Vrabel’s summer description visible ASAP.
Patriots’ Mike Vrabel Tabs Linemen ‘Soldiers’ Ahead of Super Bowl Rematch