The Patriots didn’t spend a third-round pick on Eli Raridon just to stash him and wait. They’ve been putting the rookie tight end to work, and on Sunday he gave them a real return in a 45-17 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Raridon turned in the best game of his young career, finishing with five catches for 57 yards. For a player who opened his NFL career with a touchdown and has already logged 50% of the team’s offensive snaps despite missing time early with a thigh injury, it was another clear sign that New England sees plenty more than a developmental project.
“I think he’s talented,” head coach Mike Vrabel said. “I think he’s continuing to get more comfortable each and every day, that he sees what this league is about, maybe starts to have more confidence in himself that he can do this at this level and he can do it fairly well.”
What stood out against Las Vegas wasn’t just the production - it was the way the Patriots used him. Josh McDaniels moved Raridon around and put him in space, giving the rookie chances to show the traits that made him appealing in the first place.
At 4.62 seconds in the 40-yard dash, he’s not some lumbering inline target. He can cover ground, and New England leaned into that.
Raridon picked up seven yards on a crossing route, added 13 more on a slide concept, and then delivered the biggest play of the day: a 31-yard grab down the sideline on a wheel route from Drake Maye.
Vrabel liked the full picture, not just the catches.
“I think it was good to see Eli work at the line of scrimmage, block a little bit, but then also be able to get out and do some things in the pass game and things that he’ll have to improve on. If you’re targeted five times as a tight end, you want five catches,” Vrabel said.
The blocking has apparently been a pleasant early surprise for the staff, but Sunday was the kind of game that hinted at a bigger role ahead as a receiver. Raridon is already part of the offense, and the way things have started suggests that role could keep growing as the season goes on.
“I think when he knows what to do, and there’s a lot of different looks that he hasn’t seen, defenses and defensive fronts, but I think just continuing to improve and continuing to invest in these young players,” Vrabel said.
In Other News...
Josh McDaniels May Be Unlocking What Patriots Fans Wanted From Drake Maye
Drake Mayes best stretch as a pro arrived at just the right time for the Patriots, and it gave New England something it has been searching for since drafting him: a passing game that finally looks dangerous. In the Week 5 rout of the Raiders, Maye threw four touchdown passes in a 45-17 win, and the offense looked far more comfortable than it did earlier in the season.
The surge did not come out of nowhere. ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky pointed to offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels for the adjustments helping Maye settle in, crediting the way the system has been reshaped around the quarterbacks strengths. For a Patriots team that has spent much of the start of the year trying to find its identity, the bigger question now is whether this version of the offense can hold up as defenses adjust back. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Made A Statement But Two Problems Still Stand Out
The Patriots 45-17 win over the Raiders offered plenty to like, starting with a confident showing from Drake Maye and an offense that kept rolling despite injuries to key players. New England looked far more in control than it has in stretches this season, and the result felt like the kind of statement win a team can build on as the schedule tightens.
Still, the film left a couple of familiar concerns in view. The defense had trouble handling Brock Bowers in space, and the penalty count kept undercutting some of the momentum the Patriots generated. It was a convincing victory, but the kind that also reminds a coaching staff there is still cleanup work ahead before this group can call itself fully complete. [Read more 🡒]
Drake Mayes Resurgence Just Raised A Bigger Patriots Offensive Question
Drake Mayes recent surge has given the Patriots something they badly needed: a passing game that can finally threaten defenses beyond the short stuff. On ESPN, Mina Kimes pointed to the way New England has protected its quarterback and how much better Maye has looked over the last two weeks, especially when hes taking shots downfield. Even without A.J. Brown, the vertical game has started to show some life, and that alone changes the feel of the offense.
The bigger question now is what happens when Brown is back in the mix. Kimes noted that his return could give the Patriots another layer in a passing attack that has already been finding answers through the air, and his presence would almost certainly force defenses to choose their problems more carefully. For a team trying to build on Mayes improvement, that kind of boost could be the difference between a nice stretch and a real offensive turning point. [Read more 🡒]