Nov 9, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; New England Patriots offensive tackle Will Campbell (66) warms up before a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Mike Vrabel Impressed With Patriots First-Rounder's Improvement

Originally posted on New England Patriots on SI
By Ethan Hurwitz | Last updated Jan 29, 2026 7:00 AM ET

The first two playoff games for New England Patriots tackle Will Campbell weren’t the cleanest. The fourth-overall pick was hurried, and pressured, and often lost his battles against some of the league’s top edge rushers on the Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans.

And yet, in the Patriots’ biggest win of the season — a 10-7 win over the top-seeded Denver Broncos in the AFC title game — Campbell pitched a shutout.

For the first time in three postseason games, Campbell didn’t allow a sack. Going up against Broncos star Nik Bonitto, the LSU alum allowed just a single hit and played all 64 offensive snaps in the team’s win.

Head coach Mike Vrabel is proud of how his rookie responded to the adversity.

“I thought he played better against a really good rusher,” Vrabel said of Campbell’s matchup with Bonitto.

He’s still got some things to clean up, and don’t forget, he’s just a few weeks removed from an MCL injury that landed him on injured reserve for four weeks. He missed badly on a cut block in the first quarter, before being called for a false start one quarter later.

Still, Campbell was miles ahead of where he was when he allowed four credited sacks to LA’s Odafe Oweh and Houston’s Will Anderson Jr.

Campbell’s the first to tell people if he didn’t play well, which was part of his assessment after the Texans win.

Campbell Needs To Stack Performances Together

“I just got to keep working at some other stuff,” he said, per MassLive's Mark Daniels. “Whenever I’ve got the back of the tight end with me, I just get better.”

His coach agrees that it’s still not fully ironed out.

“We’ll need to keep improving,” Vrabel said. “And I’m excited that he has another week to do.”

As part of the win, Campbell’s teammate Drake Maye picked up the game-clinching first down with his legs. Postgame, the quarterback shared that Campbell head butted him as hard as he could.

“Finishing in victory formation, I head bumped Will, and that was probably the hardest head bump of my life after I picked up the first down,” Maye told reporters.

Campbell will have another tall task against a daunting Seattle Seahawks defense in Super Bowl LX. But if last week was any indicator, he’s only going to get better.

This article first appeared on New England Patriots on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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