The Patriots have added a linebacker that has familiarity with head coach Mike Vrabel.
New England announced on Monday that the club has claimed Caleb Murphy off waivers.
Murphy, 25, was most recently with the Chargers, appearing in six games for the team this season. He was on the field for 76 percent of special teams snaps in games played and 34 percent of defensive snaps. He record a half-sack and 12 total tackles.
Murphy started his career with the Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2023 when Vrabel was Tennessee’s head coach. Murphy has appeared in a total of 14 games with the Titans and Chargers.
After being fired by the Titans, Mike Vrabel spent most of 2024 with the Browns, working as a coaching and personnel consultant.
It was always meant to be a temporary stop, as Vrabel was set to become one of the best options in the 2025 head coaching cycle. With a 5-2 start, it’s clear that the Patriots are headed in the right direction with Vrabel at the helm.
In Week 8, Vrabel and the Patriots will host the Browns. Vrabel said on Monday that he enjoyed his time with Cleveland and the people in the building.
“I enjoyed working with Kevin [Stefanski], the offensive staff, Tommy Rees and Chad [O’Shea],” Vrabel said. “I played with [special teams coordinator] Bubba [Ventrone]. So, a lot of good young coaches. Jim Schwartz — I had a really good relationship with Schwartzy. They’re playing really well. They’re coming off a huge win. They’re a great defense, offense is physical, physical O-line. Running backs are doing a nice job.
“So, we’re going to get prepared as soon as we shut the door here with the Titans and moving on to the Browns.”
Vrabel noted that he felt the Browns had “great communication” in their building, though he wasn’t trying to get involved in day-to-day operations.
“I was trying to help the players. I was trying to help the young coaches,” Vrabel said. “That wasn’t something that I got involved with. I tried to help with player development. But they have a great organization as far as the structure and everything. But I tried to be involved with the young coaches and with the young players, and help them in practice and help them develop.”
From an analytics standpoint, the Browns have a reputation for being heavy into data. Did working with Cleveland change Vrabel’s perspective in that area?
“I mean, that’s certainly something that they believe strongly in,” Vrabel said. “We were getting involved with it in Tennessee, probably not to the extent that Cleveland has. We’ve added, and I feel like we all do. That can help us on a coaching level, and also help us as we look at personnel. So, we’ll continue to try to enhance that department, that area and how they can help us looking at what we do internally, but also externally as we look at players and acquiring players. But probably won’t get to that extent of where they’re at right now overnight.”
With the way the Patriots have been playing in 2025 under Vrabel, they may not need to do so anytime soon.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye set a franchise record for completion percentage in a single game in Sunday’s win over the Titans and he also did something that no one from any team had done in the Super Bowl era.
According to the NFL, Maye is the first player in that time frame to complete 90 percent of his passes while throwing for at least 200 yards and rushing for at least 50 yards in a single game. Maye finished the day 21-of-23 for 222 yards and two touchdowns while also running eight times for 62 yards.
It was the third time this season that Maye has completed at least 80 percent of his passes and he said in his postgame press conference that he is “just trying to throw it to the guys that’s open and they’re making great plays.” Head coach Mike Vrabel was more willing to credit Maye for making the offense hum.
“I think there is an athleticism to him that’s really, really cool,” Vrabel said, via a transcript from the team. “I think he’s really accurate from all different spots, whether it’s in the pocket, off platform. He really has done a nice job so far spreading the football around. But there is an accuracy to him that has been really good for us.”
Maye has thrown for at least 200 yards in every one of the Patriots’ games this season and he’s posted a passer rating over 100 in the last six of them. The longer Maye stays in that groove, the likelier it will be that the Patriots are playing beyond Week 18.
Mike Vrabel won a lot of games in Tennessee while he was coaching the Titans, but Sunday’s visit as the head coach of the Patriots ended with a new twist.
Those left in the stands were chanting for Vrabel as the 31-13 win came to an end. It was Vrabel’s first trip back to town since the Titans fired him after the 2023 season and Vrabel downplayed the personal angle to the game whenever he was asked about it this week.
Vrabel did the same when asked about the chants and the win after the game, but Patriots players said they were happy to hear it and wide receiver Stefon Diggs said there was extra motivation to win for the coach even if Vrabel didn’t play up that angle.
“Good for him. He’ll be back to work tomorrow though,” Diggs said, via a transcript for the team. “Pretty sure he’s just feeling the same way. He said something to us that was like, every week is personal, he wasn’t lying. Whether it’s individual or a team, you want to win each and every week, and if you don’t want to win, it doesn’t add another layer if you, I guess, feel a way or feel a way about a team. But he came in with the same mindset. He didn’t change, he didn’t do anything extra. He was just his same usual self. I can appreciate that from a player standpoint. Knowing what kind of guy you’re going to get each and every week. I don’t care what he says, we wanted to win that game for him.”
The Patriots are now 5-2 and riding a four-game winning streak. The last three of those wins came on the road and that may mean more chanting for what Vrabel’s done in his first months as the head coach when they return to Gillette Stadium in Week 8.
For much of the first half, it looked like the Titans might take a shot at spoiling Mike Vrabel’s first trip back to Tennessee since being fired but the Patriots head coach was able to right the ship.
Drake Maye’s second touchdown pass of the afternoon gave the Patriots a 17-13 lead before halftime and the Patriots broke the game open in the first minutes of the second half. The result was a 31-13 win that moves New England to 5-2 on the season.
The Patriots opened the third quarter with an 88-yard drive that ended with a Rhamondre Stevenson touchdown run. Titans quarterback Cam Ward fumbled on the first snap of the ensuing drive and K’Lavon Chaisson returned the ball for a four-yard touchdown that put an end to the competitive portion of Sunday’s contest.
Maye finished the day 21-of-23 for 222 yards and he tacked on 62 yards on eight rushes. Stevenson had 88 yards on 18 carries and wide receiver Stefon Diggs posted seven catches for 69 yards.
Ward had some early success throwing to rookie wideout Chimere Dike and the Titans scored on three of their first four possessions, but things came apart in interim head coach Mike McCoy’s debut after the fumble. They punted twice and turned the ball over on downs before Ward threw a late interception.
Ward finished the day 25-of-35 for 255 yards, but a season-long issue with sacks continued as he was dropped five times over the course of the afternoon. Those sacks and the turnovers made it harder to focus on the early positives and the Titans will try for better results in Indianapolis next Sunday.
The Patriots will return home to host the Browns as they look for their fifth straight win.
