BOSTON -- While Mike Vrabel and the New England Patriots are in Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine, but the new head coach charted out some big plans for his team in free agency this offseason. 

Vrabel held court with the media for over 15 minutes on Tuesday at Lucas Oil Stadium, and touched on a number of important topics the Patriots are facing this offseason. With a lack of talent at key positions and holes up and down the roster, Vrabel and EVP of player personnel Eliot Wolf have a lot of work to do over the next few months.

New England is armed with the fourth overall pick in April's draft, one of nine selections the team is scheduled to make. But with $125 million in cap space, free agency is the team's biggest avenue toward plugging those holes and speeding up the franchise's turnaround.

When asked about the team's approach in free agency on Tuesday, Vrabel said the Patriots will "hopefully" be aggressive. It was a much more measured response than when Jerod Mayo said the team was going to "burn some cash" ahead of his lone season as head coach, and was essentially Vrabel putting the ball in Wolf's court. But if the Patriots don't go make some splashes in the open market, it will be a hit on Vrabel's credibility as well.

Vrabel used that A-word three times when talking free agency on Tuesday, and mapped out how the Patriots can get aggressive when things kick off in March.

"Hopefully aggressive. I mean, we want to be aggressive and we want to target players we feel will help us," said Vrabel. "They're going to be outstanding players, outstanding additions to the locker room and the community. If that all fits and the compensation fits, I'm confident we'll be aggressive."

Internal conversations on free agents have already begun, but a plan is usually a list of things that don't happen. Having road map is imperative, but so is having backup plans and other options charted out.

"Things are going to change. Everyone is looking at the same players so we have to be ready to pivot and adjust and have a vision for each player at each level," explained Vrabel. "There's going to be a high level where things will get done quickly, and that will transition to some midrange dollars and opportunities. Free agency gets broken down into compensation and then opportunity, and I feel we are in a position to offer both for some of these players."

Gone are the years of free agents coming to New England on a discount for a chance to win a ring. Vrabel is hoping to reestablish a winning culture, but he understands the team might have to overpay a bit to land the top talent available.

"I like to shop like everybody else. When you go and there's only one of a certain car, maybe you have to pay a little more for that one car," he said. "When you start to get into a range where you feel like there's an area where players are comparable, and you like three or four players in a certain area for a certain role, you may not have to overspend. 

"But it's free agency," added Vrabel. "I think that everybody overspends sometimes in free agency."

Vrabel clearly wants to Patriots to shell out some cash this offseason to vastly improve the roster. It will be interesting to hear what Wolf has to say when he talks with reporters from the Combine on Wednesday.

Offensive line, receiver will be big focus for Patriots

Supporting quarterback Drake Maye is going to be a major focus for the Patriots this offseason. While New England has been desperate for a top wide receiver for years, the team also has to protect the future of the franchise with pillars along the line at both tackle positions. 

"You have to look at the lines of scrimmage, and look no further than the Super Bowl; that game was won at the line of scrimmage," Vrabel said, pointing to Philadelphia's win over Kansas City in Super Bowl LIX.

Solid tackles will help give Maye more time to operate when he drops back to pass, and Vrabel also wants to see some receivers who can come in and make contested catches. That would take even more pressure off New England's quarterback in his second season.  

"You have to have some guys that can help him on the edges and make contested catches," said Vrabel. "You don't have to be perfect and have perfect ball placement. Those are things we talk about in terms of supporting Drake. He is the future of the franchise at quarterback." 

Along the line, Baltimore's Ronnie Staley and Kansas City's Trey Smith figure to be the biggest names out there, while Jacksonville's Cam Robinson would be a good Plan B. 

Tee Higgins is the top free agent at receiver, but he is likely going to get hit with the franchise tag from the Bengals. A tag-and-trade could be on the table, but that would get extremely pricey for teams in both monetary value and assets needed to pull off a swap.

Veterans Chris Godwin, Amari Cooper, and Stefon Diggs could be options on the free agent market, but they'll likely be part of that expensive first group to sign. Cooper Kupp and DK Metcalf are possibilities on the trade market.

However the Patriots plug their holes along the line and at receiver, it's going to require the team to get aggressive and beat out a lot of other teams. Vrabel sounds confident Patriots fans won't have to wait long for a turnaround on the field, but he did ask for some patience.

"They shouldn't have to wait very long. We also have to understand we're not going to fix every issue on the first day of free agency, and we're not going to fill every hole on the first or second day of the draft," he said.