Mike Vrabel taking over as head coach and hiring Terrell Williams as defensive coordinator was supposed to herald big changes for the New England Patriots, a feeling only strengthened by subsequent moves in free agency and the 2025 NFL draft, but not as much will change of that side of the ball as expected.

It turns out Vrabel has a surprising plan for the Pats defensively. A strategy based upon keeping a franchise staple intact.

Specifically, Vrabel intends to stick with the 3-4 base defensive front the Patriots have played almost exclusively since Bill Belichick took charge in 2000. Vrabel made the revelation during an appearance on “The Triple Option” podcast with fellow former Ohio State luminaries Urban Meyer and Mark Ingram II.

He told Meyer and Ingram, “I mean the base, which is only 20% of the time, will be like a, you know, a 34 structure, but I mean, most of the game is played with substituted defenses anyway.”

Even with Vrabel’s acknowledgement most modern defenses play nickel sub-packages, his fidelity to the 3-4 is still a significant development. It’s good news for at least one member of last season’s front seven and raises questions about how the Patriots have recruited on defense this offseason.

Patriots Throw 3-4 Curveball

Using the 3-4 is an odd choice when Williams is a defensive line guru who coached a four-man front with the Detroit Lions. He’s fond of sending four active rushers after quarterbacks from wide angles.

Free agency signings appeared to support the shift to a 4-3 base scheme. Like edge-rusher Harold Landry III and $104 million interior disruptor Milton Williams.

Even the Patriots’ draft picks this year tipped a change was coming on defense. Notably, fourth-round choice Joshua Farmer, a 6-foot-3, 312-pound defensive tackle lighter than the traditional two-gap monsters the Patriots have deployed for decades.

Even fifth-round pick Bradyn Swinson, a versatile edge-rusher, seemed better suited to a quicker, more attacking line. Thanks to these new additions, it’s been almost taken for granted the Patriots are changing up front, despite the risk of inviting a key weakness.

Vrabel’s words have changed this narrative. They’ve also potentially salvaged the careers of two Patriots starters who looked like odd men out in the new scheme.

Two Patriots Saved by Defense Staying the Same

The two Patriots defenders who should applaud Vrabel’s plan are linebackers Anfernee Jennings and Jahlani Tavai. They are both big-bodied ‘backers who fit the Belichick, Jerod Mayo template on the edge and along the interior.

Tavai is a thumper at inside linebacker, but the 6-foot-2, 255-pounder had looked surplus to requirements after Vrabel signed quicker, coverage types Robert Spillane and Jack Gibbens.

It’s surprising then Tavai, “a holdover from the prior regime whose fit in the scheme bears watching, was right in the mix alongside big-bucks free-agent signing Robert Spillane” during OTAs, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss.

While Tavai is still fighting to stay relevant, Jennings could also land a reprieve thanks to the Patriots staying in a 3-4 on early downs. He’s more comfortable setting the edge against the run than putting heat on the pocket, per highlights from Taylor Kyles of Patriots on CLNS Media.

Jennings and Landry can help the Patriots stay strong on the outside, but the unit that logged a league-low 28 sacks last season still needs more juice in passing situations. It may come from Vrabel using the nickel four-man front and its hybrid linebacker types more often than Mayo and Belichick.

As Vrabel put it to Meyer and Ingram, “These nickels are becoming the most important position or one of the most important positions. It’s a play-making linebacker that blitz, that can cover, that’s instinctive. There’s so many bubble relief throws that they got to be able to tackle. Try to try and find guys that can play man also in the slot.”

Leaning into the nickel will let the Patriots put their four best front-line pass-rushers onto the field more often. Then Vrabel’s defense will look a little difference to what the Pats have historically run.