The New England Patriots have spent the first year-plus under head coach Mike Vrabel getting the old band back together: multiple of his former contributors with the Tennessee Titans have rejoined their former head coach in Foxborough. Among the players, the likes of A.J. Brown, Harold Landry or Kevin Byard naturally stand out.
There are others falling into the ex-Titan category as well, though. Among them is interior offensive lineman Andrew Rupcich, who reunited with Vrabel last September.
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Hard facts
Name: Andrew Rupcich
Position: Guard/Interior offensive line
Jersey number: 67
Opening day age: 27 (4/1/1999)
Measurements: 6’6”, 325 lbs, 9 1/2” hand size, 32 7/8” arm length, 77 3/8” wingspan, 5.31s 40-yard dash, 7.95s 3-cone drill, 4.90s short shuttle, 31” vertical jump, 9’0” broad jump, 25 bench press reps, 7.76 Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: Tennessee Titans (2022-24), New England Patriots (2025-) | College: Culver-Stockton (2017-21)
Playing along both the offensive and defensive lines at McHenry High School in Wonder Lake, IL, Rupcich received limited attention as a college recruit. He eventually opted to join Culver-Stockton, where he became one of the best players in the NAIA over the course of his five seasons. In total, he started all 48 games he appeared in as the Wildcats’ left tackle and was named All-American on three separate occasions.
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The only NAIA invited to the 2022 Scouting Combine, Rupcich went unselected in that year’s NFL Draft but joined the Titans as a free agent shortly thereafter. Transitioning from tackle to guard, he saw no action as a rookie but appeared in 12 game with a pair of starts over the next two years. However, he left Tennessee in 2025 and joined the Patriots via their practice squad a short time later.
Scouting report
Strengths: Rupcich is a well put-together interior offensive lineman who offers a good package as a height/weight/length athlete. He complements his build with some impressive physicality; he is an active player at the line of scrimmage who has the leg drive and upper-body power to drive defenders off the ball. As a pass blocker, he plays with a stout anchor and is not easily pushed back. Despite his height, he uses his leverage well and generally plays with a fine level of balance; he also resets effectively when having his position challenged. In addition, he offers some versatility as a tackle-sized guard with experience both on outside and interior.
Weaknesses: Even though he has all the physical attributes of an NFL-level blocker, Rupcich’s athleticism as a whole is marginal. He lacks explosiveness out of his stance, oftentimes forcing him to start reps at a disadvantage. Accentuating the issue is the fact that his punch timing is not always on point, which is a problem especially given that a) his hand size is uninspiring as is, and b) his grip strength is uneven. Rupcich’s lateral movement and mirroring are adequate at best, creating a fine margin for error in pass protection.
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2025 review
Stats: N/A
Season recap: Rupcich’s 2024 season came to an abrupt end in October, when he suffered a torn triceps that forced the Titans to place him on season-ending injured reserve. Despite the injury and the fact that he had started only two games in his first three NFL seasons, the team decided to sign him to a one-year, $1.03 million extension as an exclusive rights free agent in March.
The deal gave him a chance to earn a backup role on Tennessee’s roster again, and he did get extensive practice reps in training camp while also playing a combined 128 offensive snaps over three preseason contests. Ultimately, Rupcich was unable to find his way onto the 53-man team: despite the Titans keeping six interior O-linemen on their initial roster, he was waive ahead of the late August cutdown deadline.
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His departure was only temporary, and he returned via the practice squad at its formation. A month later, however, Rupcich was again let go — this time for good, which opened the door for another team to swoop in and pick him up.
That team was led by his former coach, Mike Vrabel. The Patriots, whose head coach had first signed Rupcich as a free agent back in 2022, added him to their own practice squad. He spent the remainder of the season there without any game-day elevations, and after the Super Bowl was retained via a one-year futures pact.
2026 preview
Position: Guard/Center | Ability: Depth player/Role player | Contract: Signed through 2026 (2027 ERFA)
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What will be his role? Despite spending his first season in New England in relative anonymity, Rupcich was an active participant during the team’s spring practices: he effectively served as the second backup along the interior offensive line behind Ben Brown. That is precisely the role he is expected to play in 2026 as well, provide depth at both guard spots and also work as an emergence third-string center.
What is his growth potential? At age 27 and with four NFL seasons in the books, it appears Rupcich’s development from this point on will be marginal. The coaching stability in New England might help him squeeze a few percentages of performance out, but overall his ceiling appears to be capped at backup and spot starter level.
Does he have positional versatility? Rupcich was a left tackle in college. He lined up at left guard, right guard and right tackle in his preseason appearances so far, and also played right guard in the regular season. He additionally took some practice reps at center for the Patriots and has experience on the field goal/extra point protection team as well. So, even though some of his positional flexibility is more theoretical in nature, he is quite versatile.
What is his salary cap situation? The aforementioned futures contract he signed with the Patriots in February consists entirely of a non-guaranteed $1.075 base salary that simultaneously functions as Rupcich’s cap hit in 2026. As we mentioned previously, this makes him part of a six-player group with identical cap hits and contract structures occupying the five final spots on the Top 51 list as well as the first beyond it.
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How safe is his roster spot? Based on his usage during open OTA and minicamp practices, Rupcich seems to be the clubhouse leader among the “other” interior offensive linemen. Beyond starters Alijah Vera-Tucker, Jared Wilson and Mike Onwenu as well as top backup Ben Brown, he was the next man up. That said, spring and summer are two different entities in the NFL and even though he has some momentum he will need to perform at a high level to fend off younger players with potentially more upside. The possible final roster spot up front, after all, is up for grabs.
Summary: Rupcich decisively threw his hat into the backup OL ring during the offseason workout program, but that does not automatically make him a candidate for the 53-man roster. Unless he clearly puts distance between himself and other fringe roster players in training camp and preseason, the best outcome from a team’s perspective might him again joining the practice squad as an experienced emergency option.
What do you think about Andrew Rupcich heading into the 2026 season? Will he carry his spring momentum into the summer? Or will some of the younger competition surpass him? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.
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