SerpApi.Org
With training camp right around the corner, the New England Patriots are keeping busy. On Wednesday, the team of head coach Mike Vrabel had six players in town for tryouts, ended up signing two of those, and released another to put a bow on an eventful day.
While signing tight end Mitch Van Vooren and linebacker Riley Wilson, and waiving fullback Brock Lampe, do not seem like major moves in the grand scheme of things, they do impact the club ahead of camp. So, with that said, let’s take a closer look at what the transactions mean for the Patriots.
Needs addressed
The Patriots did their best to fill out their roster this offseason, but they still had some question marks in the depth department heading toward camp. Two positions in particular were in the spotlight: tight end and linebacker, with the former specifically mentioned by Mike Vrabel as one that could see a further infusion of talent at some point.
Van Vooren is that infusion, just like Wilson is at linebacker. Admittedly, they enter as depth pieces and possible camp bodies, but they do give the club extra options to prepare and take an up-close look at with more than a month to go until the 53-man roster deadline.
Intriguing profiles
He was not invited to the Scouting Combine and did minimal work during the pro day cycle ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, but he didn’t need to: Van Vooren brings an intriguing athletic background to the NFL regardless of what his testing numbers would have shown. Before focusing on football, after all, the 6-foot-5, 255-pounder was a standout track athlete.
Among his achievements was setting school records in the 400-meter hurdles at both St. Norbert and Marquette. He was also voted to the All-Big East Outdoor team in 2022, and named first-team All-American in 2023.
Despite not having the same multi-sport history, Wilson nonetheless has a profile worth looking at. His 6.83 Relative Athletic Score may appear rather average, but a closer look at it shows that he actually tested very well in the 40-yard dash: the 4.57 seconds he ran at his pro day would have been the eighth-fastest time among all the Combine linebackers this year.
In addition to his speed, he also brings some versatility to the equation. He played both as an edge and off-ball linebacker during his college career, offering flexibility reminiscent of ex-Patriots linebacker Jahlani Tavai.
Writing on the wall
As Van Vooren and Wilson come into the Patriots’ fold, Lampe exits it. For the second-year fullback, the writing unfortunately was on the wall even after what was a relatively promising start to his NFL career last spring.
As the lone fullback on the roster at the time, Lampe saw some reps with the first-team offense during his rookie offseason and the early stages of 2025’s training camp. At that point, he seemed like a possible roster candidate despite having previously gone unselected in the draft. However, the season-ending injury he suffered in late July put an end to any such projections. When the team subsequently signed veteran Reggie Gilliam to a three-year contract in this year’s free agency, his road to the 53-man roster effectively became blocked.
Lampe beating out Gilliam in training camp was never a realistic option. And so, his tenure in New England has come to an end.
No cap change expected
We do not know the full details of the contracts Van Vooren and Wilson signed with the Patriots, but an educated guess is that they are of the one-year variety and close to if not at the $885,000 minimum salary. With no guarantees expected to be part of the pacts as well, they would have no impact on New England’s salary cap at this point in time (i.e. while the NFL’s Top 51 rule is in place).
The same is true for waiving Brock Lampe. He already cost $5,000 against the Patriots’ cap in 2026 and 2027 through his rookie contract signing bonus proration anyway, and nothing about that arrangement has changed. The only difference is that the money is now allocated to the “dead cap” section of New England’s books.
Gabe Jacas effect?
During the offseason, NFL teams are allowed to carry 90 players on their active rosters. The Patriots’ currently stands at 92.
So, what’s going on?
One of the two extra players is German-born offensive tackle Lorenz Metz, whose international status means that he is eligible for a roster exemption. The second player is a bit of a mystery. Nobody else on the team qualifies for such an exemption, and no official announcement through the NFL transactions wire has been made that would answer the question about who No. 92 is.
One option appears to be Gabe Jacas, though. The second-round draft pick has yet to sign a contract with the Patriots, and there has been no movement even as his fellow rookies have reported to training camp. Jacas not being in the same boat as them could mean he currently does not count against the 90-man limit, allowing New England to have two extra players signed for the time being.
