Mike Vrabel is continuing to earn the respect of his team in training camp. Vrabel left a scrum between the New England Patriots and Washington Commanders joint practice after rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson and a Commanders defender scuffled.
Vrabel jumped in to help break up the fight and he was later pulled from the bottom of the pile, and seen bleeding from his right cheek.
Mike Vrabel stepped in to break up a fight at the Patriots-Commanders joint practice — left with blood #raisehail pic.twitter.com/6PABdMIUvS
— Wizskins (@Itswizskins) August 6, 2025
Mike Vrabel bloodied after breaking up Patriots-Commanders training camp fight
If ever you needed more proof, there’s a new culture in New England and Vrabel not hesitating to jump in and break things up is a sign that he’s going to have his players’ back; a true players coach. A drastic difference from Henderson’s former coach, Ryan Day, who stood from afar, clueless when the scuffle between Ohio State and Michigan took place after the annual rivalry game last season.
This just reinforces why Robert Kraft decided to jump ship with Jerod Mayo after just one season. I don’t think Mayo was going to jump in like that to break up a fight.
"He's right there with us man," Hunter Henry said after the practice.
There were signs last year that Mayo didn’t necessarily have the players’ back so Vrabel showing that this early is a sign the Patriots are in good hands.
New England Patriots rookies make early impression on Mike Vrabel, teammates
Along with Henderson being at the center of the fracas, Will Campbell apparently jumped in too in having Henderson's back. Early on, these rookies are making an impression not just on Vrabel, but the rest of their teammates too. It's one of the benefits to having a former player as your coach. I'm not saying this team didn't have each others' back last year, but you can tell this team supports each other, starting with the rookies.
Henderson is doing a good job of showing his versatility in the backfield. There were questions about his stamina and if he could be an every-down back. What you can't question is his effort. He apparently won the rep as well so showing he can be a pass blocker and pass catcher out of the backfield goes a long way.
Campell on the other hand, came in as a top pick in the NFL Draft and with all the pressure to anchor an offensive line that has to play much better than a year ago. If Drake Maye is under a microscope ahead of his second season, Campbell's margin for error is even smaller.