Milton Williams is itching to hit somebody. But in Foxborough, spring rules apply: no contact, no sacks, no touching the quarterback. For now, the Patriots’ $104 million defensive addition has to pull up short. During the Patriots’ spring workouts, the newly signed defensive tackle has been forced to throttle down, rushing hard off the line only to ease up before getting anywhere near the quarterback. That’s life in the non-contact OTA season. “Don’t let them catch you,” Mike Vrabel told him after a rep. Williams raised his hand and owned it.
Last year, while playing for the Philadelphia Eagles, where he began his NFL career in 2021, he recorded 40 regular-season pressures, five sacks, and seven QB hits, ranking fourth in pass-rush win rate (17.7%) among interior linemen. Showcasing elite physical traits reminiscent of Aaron Donald, Williams, 284 lb, recorded a 4.63 s 40‑yard dash, 39-inch vertical jump, and a staggering 34 bench reps at 225 lb.
Yet, in the Patriots’ playstyle, it’s not Williams’ skills that are being tested; it’s his patience. On one side, the arrival of Milton in New England was a move made to improve their defense. Still, their strategy of showing patience in defense and withholding rushes and sacks is halting Williams from fully opening up his play. However, training camp is not far away, and with that in mind, Williams has planned a trip to Texas and will return to showcase his true abilities to his teammates, especially the star quarterback of the Patriots, who will be lining up against the DE from Texas, Drake Maye.
Williams’ words were shared on X by Mark Daniels, who emphasized that Milton had a successful spring season. After not being able to touch the quarterbacks so far, he will have his wishes met in training camp, posing a threat to Maye. Daniels wrote, “After a successful spring, Milton Williams can’t wait to finally hit someone.” Suggesting that Williams is itching not just to push the QB, but to dominate in the trenches.
With the spring workouts wrapped, heading to the training camp next after a break in Texas, Williams made his next objective clear, he said, “Go back to Texas and do my training. Make sure I come back into training camp in tip-top shape and ready to go. I’m ready to use some of this physicality. We’ve got to rush and then stop. (This spring) We’ve got to let the quarterback throw the ball. I’ll come around and be ready for sure.”
After a successful spring, Milton Williams can’t wait to finally hit someone https://t.co/C72cj5UCo0
— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) June 16, 2025
Motivated and focused, ready to show off what he has to offer, Williams is fitting in nicely with the Patriots’ mentality. The 2025 offseason wasn’t just about the massive player signings; it is also a platform where the greatest of the game return as coaches to relive their days of glory. And after Jerod Mayo’s sacking as the Patriots’ head coach, he has been replaced by former linebacker and 3-time Super Bowl champion, Mike Vrabel. The move is expected to bring a massive change in the New England locker room. Vrabel has targeted Williams as the player he will be the hardest on in his approach to bring out a leader from his team’s best player.
Milton Williams embraces coach Mike Vrabel’s hard-on approach
While the OTAs and other training camps in the offseason are voluntary, Mike Vrabel is very clear about who will earn the team stripes. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, while talking about Vrabel, said, “While Vrabel and all coaches are prevented by the Collective Bargaining Agreement from saying or doing anything to suggest that the voluntary workouts aren’t voluntary, this specific aspect of Vrabel’s plan for coaching his team demonstrates how he feels about players choosing — and not choosing — to be there. Given that Vrabel likes to be hardest on the team’s best players, it’ll be interesting to see if players like Diggs and Davis have bought themselves an even more memorable experience in late July and August.”
Under Vrabel’s guidance, the philosophy for the Patriots is simple: earn it or be exposed. And his signature approach, to yield the best results, Vrabel has targeted Milton Williams as his biggest star, giving him the hardest time on the pitch; yet, the 26-year-old has impressed the whole team. Williams was one of the few to train at the OTAs voluntarily, setting an example for his teammates.
And the reason behind this mentality? It was Vrabel calling him out. Williams revealed, “I like that. I don’t mind. I don’t think I’m bigger than the next person. I don’t mind getting called out, because him calling me out is just going to help the other guys. We ain’t got no excuses for nobody to be not giving their all.”
So perhaps it’s safe to say that Vrabel’s game plan this far has worked perfectly. Even with a new side, as he carries the same mentality, Williams is responding to the call. ESPN’s Mike Reiss believes Williams is embracing Vrabel’s approach. He said, “(Williams) seemed to embrace Vrabel’s approach of being hardest on the team’s best players.” And he has all the reasons to embrace it even further. Vrabel is an NFL legend. Vrabel’s philosophy was endorsed, and Williams turned into the team’s spearhead. A clear challenge to Maye from Williams has arrived. Who do you think will capitalize?
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