Patriots special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer wants the 27-year-old to grow his role off the field.
Last year’s coaching change from Bill Belichick to Jerod Mayo was one of relative stability for the New England Patriots. The one from Mayo to Mike Vrabel this year, on the other hand, came with sweeping changes both on and off the field.
One of the most drastic manifestations of that is looking at the list of team captains. Of the six players originally named as captains in 2024, only two — long snapper Joe Cardona and safety Jabrill Peppers — remain on the roster at the moment.
Longtime team leaders David Andrews, Ja’Whaun Bentley and Deatrich Wise Jr. as well as veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett were all shown the door. Andrews and Bentley were released, while Wise Jr. and Brissett were not retained in free agency.
The Patriots created a leadership vacuum through those moves, but Vrabel and company apparently feel they have the players in place to fill it. Among them is special teams ace Brenden Schooler, who is expected to take a step up as a leader this season, according to his unit’s coordinator.
“I want him to take a bigger leadership role this year, “explained Jeremy Springer during a recent press conference at Gillette Stadium.
“He gets older now — he’s in Year 4 — so, ‘Hey, take an ownership role. Fit into what we’re trying to build here. Build a foundation. Build a program here. I’m going to do everything that I can to teach, lead and inspire, and you have to do a good job building connections with players and take over that role.’”
Arriving as an undrafted free agent out of Texas in 2022, Schooler immediately found himself under the wing of legendary special teamer Matthew Slater. The two continued working together for two seasons, with Slater helping his young understudy turn from draft day afterthought to one of the most productive kicking game players in the NFL.
Following Slater’s retirement during the 2024 offseason, Schooler took over as the Patriots’ on-field special teams leader. He did not skip a beat, getting voted to his first Pro Bowl and recognized as a first-team All-Pro.
Now heading into 2025 and with Slater no longer affiliated with the team — he initially served as a special assistant to Jerod Mayo following his retirement — the hope is that the soon-to-be 28-year-old will continue his growth off the field as well.
“The standard’s the standard for him now,” said Springer. “He’s lived up to the standard and the expectation that he’s had — Pro Bowl, All-Pro. Every year, you should expect that and we should want that out of him.
“So, he gets full range. He’s going to be the guy that we lean on.”