Quarterback

The Patriots went 14-3 last season and went to the Super Bowl, but they got a lot of criticism for their regular season strength of schedule, which was by far the easiest in the league, and for the fact that they faced teams missing key players in the AFC playoffs, criticism that seemed to be founded when the Patriots were overmatched by the Seahawks in a Super Bowl loss that was never really that close. On top of their weak schedule, the Patriots also got pretty lucky with injuries, as they had the fewest adjusted games lost to injury in the league. This season, the Patriots face a tougher schedule, figure to have more injuries, and are unlikely to win the same amount of games, but there are some reasons for optimism. 

For one, while the Patriots did face an easy schedule, they mostly blew out their weak opponents, finishing the regular season with the 3rd best point differential in the league at +170. Even when schedule is taken into account, the Patriots still ranked 4th in efficiency, particularly excelling on offense, where they ranked 6th. On top of that, the Patriots made some key additions this off-season and overall look to have a better roster than they did a year ago.

Quarterback Drake Maye finished as the runner up in MVP voting last season, completing 72.0% of his passes for an average of 8.93 YPA, 31 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions, while rushing for 450 yards and 4 touchdowns on 103 carries (4.37 YPC). While the Patriots did face a very easy schedule, the one relative strength the Patriots’ opponents had last season was pass defense, so, while Maye did face a below average slate of pass defenses, it wasn’t a significantly below average one. 

Maye’s schedule will be tougher this season, but his performance last season should still be close to replicable, especially with an improved offensive supporting cast. Maye is also still only going into his age 24 season and, while he is not yet proven as a quarterback who can play at the level he played at last season year in and year out, the 2024 3rd overall pick definitely has the talent to be one of the best quarterbacks in the league for years to come.

Backing up Maye is Tommy DeVito, a former undrafted free agent and spot starter with the New York Giants. DeVito wasn’t too bad in his 8 career starts in New York, completing 65.3% of his passes for an average of 6.12 YPA, 8 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions, and is an adequate backup option. The Patriots would obviously be in a lot of trouble if he had to start for an extended period of time, but that isn’t really a knock on DeVito as much as it is a testament to how good Maye has become and how much of a key to this team’s success he is.

Grade: A

Receiving Corps

The biggest addition the Patriots made this off-season was trading for wide receiver AJ Brown, who they sent a 2028 1st round pick to the Eagles for. Brown replaces Stefon Diggs, who was good as the de facto #1 wide receiver last season, finishing with a 85/1013/4 slash line on 102 targets and 2.42 yards per route run, but Diggs was on the wrong side of 30 and coming off of a torn ACL, so the Patriots limited his snap count all season, leading to him playing just 598 snaps and running just 419 routes. At the very least, AJ Brown should be able to play more of a traditional #1 wide receiver’s snap count than Diggs and he could also be an upgrade in terms of his talent level when on the field.

In seven seasons in the league, Brown has played with middling quarterbacks at best on teams that run the ball at a high rate, but he has still managed a 85/1300/9 slash line per 17 games. On a per target and per route run basis, he is even better, averaging 9.84 yards per target and 2.55 yards per route run. Now paired with by far the best quarterback he’s ever played with on what should be a more pass heavy offense than he is used to, Brown has the potential to see his production go up a level. 

There is some concern about Brown having a relative down year last year, with his 78/1003/7 slash line in 15 games, 8.29 yards per target, and 2.06 yards per route run all being below his career averages, but the Eagles’ offense in general had a down year last year and Brown is still only going into his age 29 season, so he shouldn’t be over the hill yet and I would expect him to bounce back in 2026, perhaps in a big way, given how much better his new situation is for putting up numbers than his old one was.

Brown wasn’t the only wide receiver the Patriots added this off-season, signing Romeo Doubs to a 4-year, 68 million dollar deal. Doubs rotated a lot in Green Bay, playing just 703 snaps per season and running just 400 routes per season in four seasons there, and the Patriots do have a fairly deep receiving corps that rotated a lot last season, but the amount of money the Patriots paid Doubs suggests they view him as a true every down starter and #2 wide receiver. 

In four seasons in Green Bay, Doubs averaged 1.52 yards per route run and 7.58 yards per target, including 1.73 yards per route run and 8.52 yards per target last season, and he is still only going into his age 26 season. He also averaged an average depth of target of 12.1, including 13.2 last season, making him an ideal fit with Drake Maye, who led the league in passer rating on throws 20 yards downfield or longer last season at 132.7.

With Brown and Doubs expected to play a traditional snap count for a #1 and #2 receiver, that leaves Mack Hollins, Kayshon Boutte, and Demario Douglas competing for the #3 receiver job, after playing snap counts of 656, 607, and 288 last season, though it is worth noting that all three are in the final year of their contract and have had their names mentioned in trade rumors in the wake of the AJ Brown acquisition. If all three remain on the roster, Boutte seems like the favorite for the #3 receiver job.

Boutte finished last season with a 33/551/6 slash line on 46 targets and 1.48 yards per route run, after a 43/589/3 slash line on 68 targets and 1.26 yards per route in 2024. He also has an average depth of target of 14.5 and 17.5 in 2024 and 2025 respectively. Hollins was more productive last season, with a 46/550/2 slash line on 65 targets and 1.60 yards per route run, but that was a career high in yards per route run and the second highest receiving yardage total of his career and he’s now heading into his age 33 season, while Boutte heads into his age 24 season. Boutte was also much more efficient on a per target basis last season (11.98 vs. 8.46).

Douglas, meanwhile, is a slot specialist with a career 1.64 yards per route run average on 331 routes per season in three seasons in the league, including 2.01 on 222 routes last season. His role seems the most secure of the three, even if he is not the nominal #3 receiver, because he excels in his specific niche. The Patriots also have Kyle Williams, who they drafted in the 3rd round in 2025, but he was underwhelming across 335 snaps as a rookie, averaging just 1.17 yards per route run and turning 21 targets into just a 10/209/3 slash line. The Patriots probably still have hope for him for the future, but he would need a trade and/or an injury ahead of him on the depth chart to have a significant role this season.

With many of their wide receivers rotating snaps last season, tight end Hunter Henry ranked second on the team in targets with 87, turning them into a 60/768/7 slash line and 1.67 yards per route run, but he is going into his age 32 season in 2026 and the Patriots receiving corps is better this year than a year ago, so I would expect an at least slightly scaled back role for Henry in 2026 and possibly a decline in his effectiveness as well. 

Henry has been a reasonably effective tight end throughout his career though, averaging a 57/662/6 slash line per 17 games and 1.50 yards per route run in 10 seasons in the league, so even if he is at less than his best, he could still be a decent starter. The Patriots also used a third round pick on Eli Raridon to be a potential long-term replacement for Henry. In the short-term, he will replace Austin Hooper, who had a 21/263/2 slash line and 1.34 yards per route run on 26 targets last season as the #2 tight end. This looks likely to be a better receiving corps in 2026 than 2025, primarily due to the addition of AJ Brown.

Grade: B+

Offensive Line

The Patriots also made a big addition on the offensive line, signing Aljiah Vera-Tucker to a 3-year, 42 million dollar deal. Vera-Tucker, a first round pick in 2021, has been an above average starter whenever he has played in his career, but he has had terrible luck with injuries, leading to him playing just 43 games in five seasons in the league, including an entire 2025 season missed due to a torn triceps. Vera-Tucker is still only in his age 27 season, so if his injuries haven’t sapped his abilities and if he doesn’t miss more time, he should remain an above average starter, but those are big ifs.

Vera-Tucker’s addition has the potential to upgrade two offensive line spots, as he will move incumbent left guard Jared Wilson to center, where the 2025 3rd round pick is a better fit, after struggling as a rookie at left guard in 2025. At center, Wilson could easily be an upgrade over Garrett Bradbury, who also struggled last season, before getting traded in what amounted to a salary dump this off-season. Even if Vera-Tucker misses time with injury, Wilson will likely stay at center, with top interior reserve Ben Brown being a better fit at guard than center, though he can play both. Brown, who has made 14 starts over the past two seasons, would be a downgrade from either Vera-Tucker or Wilson if forced into action, but he isn’t a bad backup option all things considered.

The Patriots could also get a better year out of left tackle Will Campbell, the 4th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Campbell got a lot of criticism for his poor play in the post-season last year, but he was playing at mless than 100% due to a knee injury that cost him four games at the end of the regular season. Before his injury, Campbell was a solid starter and, now healthy and going into his second season in the league, he has the potential to be even better in 2026 than he was in the regular season last year. There is still some speculation that Campbell might be best at right tackle or guard long-term, due to his lack of length, but for now he will remain at left tackle.

If Campbell does eventually move from left tackle, it would probably be because the Patriots want their first round pick this year Caleb Lomu to play there. For now, Lomu will compete for the starting right tackle job with incumbent Morgan Moses, who is going into his age 35 season, but who was still solid last season. Moses could decline in 2026, but he has been very durable in his career, missing just six games in the past eleven seasons in the league, which likely has helped him age gracefully. I would still consider him the favorite for the week 1 starting job, with Lomu starting his career as the swing tackle, before potentially moving into the starting lineup later in the season, if not in 2027.

Rounding out the offensive line is right guard Mike Onwenu, who has been a solid starter in 90 starts in six seasons in the league. He’s seen action at both guard spots and right tackle in his career and could move if the Patriots needed him to, but he seems to have settled into as the right guard. Still relatively young in his age 29 season, I would expect him to continue playing at about the same level he always has in 2026. With Alijah Vera-Tucker being added and Will Campbell and Jared Wilson going into their second year in the league, this offensive line could be better than a year ago, though there is some concern at right tackle if veteran Morgan Moses declines due to age and Caleb Lomu is unable to adequately replace him as a rookie.

Grade: B

Running Backs

TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson were the Patriots’ top-2 backs last season in terms of carries, but it was a muddled backfield all year. None of that was surprising, but what was surprising was how the two backs were used and how they performed. Stevenson was expected to be the lead back and primary between the tackles runner, while Henderson was expected to be the explosive change of pace back and primary passing down back.

Instead, Henderson led the team in carries with 180 compared to 130 for Stevenson and had a slightly higher carry success rate (51.7% to 50.8%), but Stevenson had a higher percentage of his carries go for 15+ yards (6.9% to 5.6%) and was more effective in the passing game, with a 32/345/2 slash line on 37 targets with 1.34 yards per route run, while Henderson had a 35/221/1 slash line on 42 targets with 0.93 yards per route run. Their carry totals are much closer if you take out the three games Stevenson missed with injury though, with 133 for Henderson and 130 for Stevenson, and Stevenson was the clear lead back in the post-season, with 58 carries to 30 for Henderson. 

How this backfield breaks down this season remains to be seen and could change week-to-week, but it is clear that the Patriots feel comfortable using the two backs more interchangeably than we expected when Henderson was added in the 2nd round of last year’s draft. Stevenson has rushed for 4.39 YPC and 28 touchdowns on 836 carries in his career, with 3.31 yards per carry after contact, a 20.8% missed tackle rate, and a 50.2% carry success rate, while Henderson rushed for 5.06 YPC and 9 touchdowns on 180 carries as a rookie, with 3.45 yards per carry after contact and a 16.7% missed tackle rate, so both backs are useful options. This is not a spectacular backfield, but it is a solid one that should get the job done.

Grade: B

Edge Defenders

The Patriots’ defense was their weaker unit last season, ranking 19th in schedule adjusted efficiency. They ranked 4th in points per game allowed, 6th in yards per play allowed, and 8th in first down rate allowed, but their defense faced a much easier schedule than their offense, consistently facing off against the worst offenses in the league, something they will not get the benefit of doing again in 2026. Their biggest weakness on defense last season was the edge defender position and I don’t think they really fixed it this off-season.

Harold Landry (676 snaps) and K’Lavon Chaisson (641 snaps) were their top-2 edge defenders last season and both had good pass rush numbers, finishing with 8.5 sacks, 10 hits, and a 11.8% pressure rate and 7.5 sacks, 12 hits, and a 13.5% pressure rate respectively, but both benefited from an easy schedule and Chaisson left this off-season. Also leaving this off-season was Anfernee Jennings (280 snaps), a mediocre pass rusher, but a solid run defender. To replace them, the Patriots signed Dre’Mont Jones and used a second round pick on Gabe Jacas. Jacas has upside, but could struggle through growing pains in year one, while Jones is unlikely to move the needle at this position. 

Jones was once primarily an interior player and he was a good pass rusher at that position, totaling 23 sacks, 24 hits, and a 9.5% pressure rate in 59 games from 2020 to 2023, but he struggled against the run and was undersized for an interior defender at 6-3 283, so he moved to the outside, where his pass rush numbers have improved, but are underwhelming for an edge player, with 11 sacks, 26 hits, and a 10.9% pressure rate in 35 games over the past two seasons. Meanwhile, his run defense has been less of an issue on the edge, but he is still not a good run defender, despite having good size for an edge player. The Patriots need him more on the edge than the interior and he figures to play there primarily, but he is far from the top level edge defender that this defense still lacks.

Harold Landry will continue playing a big role. In eight seasons in the league, Landry has totaled 59 sacks, 65 hits, and a 10.1% pressure rate in 113 games. He’s a little bit better as a run defender, but he is now heading into his age 30 season and could start to decline, both as a run defender and a pass rusher. Landry forms an underwhelming starting duo with Dre’Mont Jones. Along with the rookie Jacas, Elijah Ponder will probably have a role as a reserve, although that is more due to the lack of a better option, as the 2025 undrafted free agent was underwhelming across 215 snaps last season. This is still a below average position group.

Grade: C

Interior Defenders

The Patriots’ interior defenders were the strength of this defense last season, with Christian Barmore and Milton Williams being an above average starting duo and Khyiris Tonga and Cory Durden providing good depth. Barmore and Williams should remain an above average duo, but there is some concern that this position group won’t be as good as a year ago. Both Barmore and Williams are at their best as pass rushers, with Barmore totaling 15.5 sacks, 30 hits, and a 10.7% pressure rate in 65 career games and Williams totaling 15 sacks, 27 hits, and a 9.4% pressure rate in 79 career games. Last season, Barmore had 2 sacks, 9 hits, and a 11.7% pressure rate, while Williams had 3.5 sacks, 5 hits, and a 12.3% pressure rate. Neither are bad run defenders either and both are going into their age 27 season and should continue playing at a high level. 

The concern is depth, as Tonga left as a free agent and will be replaced by 2025 4th round pick Joshua Farmer, who struggled across 224 snaps as a rookie, while Durden’s solid season in 2025 could prove to be a fluke, as the 2023 undrafted free agent had struggled across 128 snaps prior to last season, when he played 385 snaps and fared well as a run defender and pass rusher (8.7% pressure). Depth concerns hurt their overall grade at this position.

Grade: B+

Linebackers

The Patriots’ linebacking corps probably won’t be as good as it was a year ago either, for a couple reasons. For one, Robert Spillane, their top linebacker, is going into his age 31 season and could start to decline. He’s been a consistently above average linebacker for several years, particularly excelling against the run, while starting all 47 games played over the past three seasons and averaging 62.4 snaps per game, but he could be closer to only an average starter this season, which would hurt this defense.

The Patriots also lost most of the linebackers who saw action for them last season, most notably Jack Gibbens, who was decent across 494 snaps as the third linebacker, and they didn’t really do a good job replacing them. Christian Elliss remains as the second linebacker, but he has been mediocre in his career, while maxing out with snap counts of 514 and 506 over the past two seasons. In what figures to be an expanded role this season, he could be even more of a liability.

The third linebacker job will likely go to KJ Britt, Chad Muma, or Namdi Obiazor, all of whom would likely be a liability. Britt has mostly been a special teamer in his career, with the only significant action of his career on defense being the 613 snaps he played in 2024, when he struggled mightily. Chad Muma was a 3rd round pick by the Jaguars in 2022, but has played just 748 nondescript snaps in four seasons in the league. Obiazor is a 6th round rookie who is highly unlikely to contribute in a significant positive way in year one. This is a below average linebacking corps.

Grade: B-

Secondary

The one major upgrade on this defense from this season compared to last is the signing of safety Kevin Byard to replace Jaylinn Hawkins. While Hawkins was an underwhelming starter last season, Byard has been a consistently above average starter through his career, while making 155 starts in 10 seasons in the league. Byard is going into his age 33 season and could start to decline this season, but he’s been incredibly durable in his career, missing just 1 game in his entire career, which should help him age more gracefully than most and, even if he does decline a little bit in 2026, he should still be an upgrade over Hawkins. The Patriots could also get better play from their other safety spot, with 2025 4th round pick Craig Woodson going into his second season in the league, after a decent, but unspectacular rookie season in which he played 949 snaps and started 15 of 17 games played. 

The Patriots bring back their top-3 cornerbacks from a year ago. Christian Gonzalez has developed into one of the best cornerbacks in the league and could still get better, as the 2023 1st round pick is only going into his age 24 season. His only issue is durability, as he has missed at least one game in all three seasons in the league, with multiple games missed in two of three seasons and 17 games missed total. On the other hand, the Patriots other two top-3 cornerbacks, Carlton Davis and Marcus Jones, are much more middling.

Carlton Davis has had some solid seasons in his career, but last season was his worst in years, as he was a marginal starter at best, and he’s now heading into his age 30 season, so his best days are probably behind him. He’s also missed multiple games with injury in all eight seasons in the league except last season, so he will probably miss more time in 2026. Jones, meanwhile, has been a decent, but unspectacular slot cornerback in his career, while missing 20 games in four seasons in the league, with last season being the first in which he did not miss multiple games due to injury. 

Depth is also a bit of a concern at cornerback, especially given the injury history of their top-3 cornerbacks. Top reserve options are Kindle Vildor, who has been a liability through six seasons in the league, while starting just 27 of 80 games played, and 5th round rookie Karon Prunty, who would probably struggle if forced into an extended stint as a starter in year one. Things are at least a little better at safety, where Mike Brown has been decent across 501 snaps in four seasons in the league, while Dell Pettus has been decent across 454 snaps in two seasons in the league. The presence of Christian Gonzalez elevates this position group significantly and the addition of Kevin Byard to replace Jaylinn Hawkins should be an upgrade, but the rest of this group is underwhelming and Byard’s age is at least somewhat of a concern.

Grade: B

Kickers

The Patriots drafted Andres Borregales in the 6th round of the 2025 NFL Draft and he had a rough rookie season, costing the Patriots 7.32 points compared to an average kicker, 4th worst in the NFL. Borregales has the talent to be better in his second season in the league, but he has a long way to go to even be an average kicker so, even if he is better in 2026, he could still be a liability. The Patriots still believe in him, not adding any competition this off-season, but it remains to be seen if that was the correct choice.

Grade: C+

Conclusion

A lot of things had to go right for the Patriots to win 14 games and make the Super Bowl, including a weak regular season schedule, a down year for the AFC in general, untimely injuries for AFC post-season opponents, and very few of their own injuries relative to the rest of the league. The Patriots won’t be able to count on any of that this season, but they did do a good job at least addressing some needs on their roster and overall look like a more talented team this season than last season, so they should have a good shot to make it back into the post-season, even if they are not a true top level team.

Prediction: 10-7, 2nd in AFC East

Quarterback

The Patriots were once the standard of consistent excellence in the NFL, winning their division 17 times in a 20-year span from 2000-2019, with nine Super Bowl appearances, six Super Bowl victories, and the league’s best record during that stretch by a wide margin. However, things have quickly fallen apart since Tom Brady left during the 2020 off-season. The Patriots have made the post-season once in five years without him, with no division titles, no post-season victories, and a record of 33-51 over those five seasons. They have been especially bad over the past two seasons, bottoming out with a combined 8-26 record.

Brady’s departure obviously is a big part of why they have struggled in recent years, but their poor drafting in recent years has been a big problem as well and that dates back to even before Brady left. The last time this team drafted a player who made an All-Pro on either offense or defense was back in the 2016 NFL Draft, when they took Joe Thuney. The result is a roster that has been one of the worst in the league over the past two seasons.

Because they haven’t drafted well, the Patriots haven’t had players worth giving big second contracts to. The result of that is the Patriots entered this off-season with the most cap space in the league. The Patriots spent aggressively this off-season, but spending in free agency often means overpaying players that other teams didn’t want to keep, while the good teams build through the draft and use their cap space to keep their talent. That was largely the case for the Patriots this off-season.

That being said, there are some reasons to be optimistic for the Patriots. For one, while many of their off-season additions were overpays, they do make this team better. On top of that, the Patriots added an experienced head coach in Mike Vrabel, who consistently got the most out of his talent in Tennessee. Vrabel brings with him an experienced offensive coordinator in Josh McDaniels, whose success as an offensive coordinator in his career has led to him getting two head coaching opportunities. 

Probably the biggest reason to be optimistic about this team’s future is their talented young quarterback. As bad as the Patriots have drafted in recent years, they seem like they hit on the #3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, when they selected Drake Maye. Maye’s numbers weren’t impressive as a rookie, as he completed 66.6% of his passes for an average of 6.73 YPA, 15 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, with 7.80 YPC and 2 touchdowns on 54 carries, but his supporting cast was a big part of the reason for his underwhelming production, as Maye himself finished with a solid PFF grade of 70.1. Now going into his second season in the league, with a better supporting cast and an improved coaching staff, Maye could easily take a big step forward, both in terms of his own level of play and particularly in terms of his level of production.

The Patriots actually drafted two quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft, taking Joe Milton with a 6th round pick. He made a start in a meaningless week 18 game against the Bills’ backups last season and impressed, completing 22 of 29 for 241 yards and a touchdown. That could have been the start of Milton developing into a good backup for Drake Maye, but Milton reportedly felt he should have been the starter long-term instead and the Patriots were forced to deal him to the Cowboys for a swap of late round picks this off-season and will instead have a veteran in Joshua Dobbs behind Maye on the depth chart.

Dobbs is a mediocre backup option, completing 62.7% of his passes for an average of 5.98 YPA, 17 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions across 549 career pass attempts and 15 starts in eight seasons in the league, with just 3 of those starts being wins. He also doesn’t have much upside, going into his age 30 season, and would be a big downgrade from Maye if forced to make significant starts. Still, this quarterback room is going in the right direction with Drake Maye looking like a potential future franchise quarterback, something he could take another step forward towards becoming in his second season in the league in 2025.

Grade: B

Receiving Corps

One of the biggest off-season additions the Patriots made was signing wide receiver Stefon Diggs to a 3-year, 63.5 million dollar deal. Diggs has been one of the most accomplished wide receivers in the league over his 10 seasons in the league, surpassing 1000 yards receiving in every season from 2018-2023, while averaging 2.09 yards per route run for his career. He seemed like he was on his way to another 1000+ yard season in 2024, when he had a 47/496/3 slash line and 1.84 yards per route run through eight games, but he then tore his ACL and missed the rest of the season.

Not Diggs is not only coming off of a significant injury, but he’s also going into his age 32 season. Age 31 to age 32 the biggest single season drop off in terms of elite production probability, as a 32-year-old wide receiver is about half as likely to top 1000 yards receiving in a season as a 30-year-old wide receiver and about a third as likely as a 28-year-old wide receiver, a steep drop off in a 4-year span. It seems likely Diggs’ best days are behind him, but even at significantly less than his peak, he would still be a boost for a receiving corps that was arguably the worst in the NFL last season. He figures to be the de facto #1 wide receiver, even with his age and injury concerns.

The rest of this wide receiver group is unsettled. Demario Douglas is probably the favorite to be the #2 wide receiver. The 2023 6th round pick has been their top wide receiver by default over the past two seasons, averaging a 58/591/2 slash line and 1.53 yards per route run through two seasons in the league. Douglas is still only going into his age 25 season and may have further untapped upside, but he’s still pretty underwhelming as a #2 receiver.

Also in the mix for roles are third round rookie Kyle Williams, veteran journeyman free agent signing Mack Hollins, veteran holdover Kendrick Bourne, 2023 6th round pick Kayshon Boutte, and 2024 2nd round pick JaLynn Polk. Williams has upside, but might be too raw to contribute in a significant way as a rookie. Hollins has averaged just 1.07 yards per route run in eight seasons in the league, including just 0.92 yards per route run last season, and now heads into his age 32 season. Bourne averaged 1.76 yards per route run across his first three seasons with the Patriots, but suffered a torn ACL midway through his third season in 2023 and was not the same upon his return in 2024, averaging just 1.06 yards per route run. 

Bourne could be better in 2025, another year removed from his injury, but that’s not a guarantee, especially since he’s also getting up there in age, now heading into his age 30 season. Boutte was second on the team among wide receivers in receiving with a 43/589/3 slash line last season, but was part of the problem, with just 1.26 yards per route run, in the first significant action of his career. Polk has still upside, but struggled mightily with 0.35 yards per route run as a rookie. It’s possible that several of these wide receivers will play situational/rotational roles as the Patriots try to make the most of a wide receiver group that has some options, but is underwhelming overall.

The strength of this receiving corps last season was the tight end spot, where Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper finished with slash lines of 66/674/2 and 45/476/3 respectively on averages of 1.39 yards per route run and 1.65 yards per route run respectively. Henry’s performance last season was largely in line with his career average of 1.47 yards per route run, while Hooper also has a decent 1.37 yards per route run average for his career. 

The problem is both are now heading into their age 31 season and could start to decline. They’ll probably still be heavily involved in the offense, given the Patriots’ issues at wide receiver, but they might not be as efficient or effective as a year ago. The Patriots don’t have any promising young tight end options behind them on the depth chart, with 2024 7th round pick Jaheim Bell, who played just 84 mediocre snaps as a rookie, likely to be the #3 tight end. This receiving corps is better by default than last season, but is still an unsettled group that has a lot of concerns.

Grade: B

Offensive Line

As bad as the Patriots’ receiving corps was last season, their offensive line was arguably even worse, finishing 31st on PFF in pass blocking grade and 32nd in run blocking grade. A ridiculous twelve different offensive linemen made starts for the Patriots last season and only one of them finished above 60 on PFF. Fortunately, the Patriots made some additions to this offensive line this off-season that should be upgrades, even if some are likely to be upgrades by default.

The biggest addition they made was using the 4th overall pick on LSU left tackle Will Campbell. Campbell isn’t as good as most left tackle prospects selected in the top-5 and may ultimately have to move to right tackle or guard long-term, but he should still be an immediate upgrade at left tackle and is likely to be an above average starter somewhere on this offensive line long-term. Additionally, the Patriots signed veterans Morgan Moses and Garrett Bradbury in free agency and used a third round pick on Jared Wilson.

Moses will start at right tackle, where he has made 157 starts over the past ten seasons, with just six games missed due to injury over that stretch. Moses has also finished above 60 on PFF in all ten of those seasons, including six seasons over 70. However, Moses now heads into his age 34 season and his 63.3 PFF grade in 2024 was the lowest across that stretch. Additionally, all six of the games he has missed with injury over that stretch have come in the past two seasons. 

Moses’ best days are almost definitely behind him at this point and he could continue declining and/or miss more time with injury. However, he will still be a welcome addition, given how bad the Patriots were at right tackle last season. Moses will be backed up by Caedan Wallace, who was one of those right tackles who struggled last season, with a 44.1 PFF grade across 129 snaps as a rookie, but he was a 2024 3rd round pick and still has upside long-term.

Bradbury, meanwhile, will start at center. The 2019 1st round pick has never lived up to where he was drafted. He has finished above 60 on PFF in five straight seasons (72 starts), but he has maxed out at a 70.2 PFF grade, so he’s no more than a solid starter at best, especially now going into his age 30 season. Like Moses, he should still be a welcome addition. Jared Wilson is also primarily a center, but his best path to playing time as a rookie is probably at left guard, where Cole Strange is currently penciled in as the starter.

Strange is a former first round pick, selected 29th overall in 2022, but he was a reach when he was selected there and hasn’t shown anything in three seasons in the league to suggest that wasn’t the case. Strange did take a step forward between year one and year two, going from a 54.6 PFF grade to a 64.6 PFF grade, but then he suffered a brutal knee injury late in his second season that kept him out for most of his third season in 2024 and when he returned he only had a 48.6 PFF grade across 117 snaps. Another year removed from his injury, Strange could bounce back to his 2022 form, but that’s not a guarantee and, even if he does, it’s unlikely he ever proves himself to have been worth a first round pick.

At right guard, Mike Onwenu is the only holdover who didn’t struggle last season, with a 65.2 PFF grade in 17 starts. That was actually a down year for him, as the 2020 6th round pick received PFF grades of 84.3, 87.0, 79.3, and 71.5 across a total of 56 starts in his first four seasons in the league, prior to last season. Still only in his age 28 season, Onwenu has obvious bounce back potential in 2025. With Onwenu likely to bounce back, the additions of Campbell, Moses, Bradbury, and Wilson, and Cole Strange potentially bouncing back as well, this offensive line looks a lot better than a year ago, but this is still only an average unit at best.

Grade: B

Running Backs

The running back position wasn’t a position of weakness last season. Lead back Rhamondre Stevenson only averaged 3.87 yards per carry across 207 carries, but that was largely because he struggled to find running room on an overall poor offense. In three seasons in the league prior to last season, Stevenson averaged 4.54 yards per carry across 499 carries and, only in his age 27 season, he should bounce back on a better offense in 2025. However, the Patriots still used a high draft pick on another running back, TreVeyon Henderson, who they selected in the second round. Henderson might not take Stevenson’s lead back job as a rookie, but he figures to at least the second part of a one-two punch at running back, using his speed and athleticism to complement the size of the 6-0 227 Stevenson.

Stevenson’s addition likely means the end of Antonio Gibson having a significant role on this offense. He was actually great in limited action last season, significantly exceeding Stevenson’s average with a 4.48 YPC on 120 carries, while ranking 2nd among running backs with 3.91 yards per carry after contact and 1st among running backs with a 131.2 elusive rating. That was out of line with his career averages though, as he averaged 4.11 yards per carry, 2.76 yards per carry after contact, and maxed out at an elusive rating of 86.9 in his first four seasons in the league prior to last season. He would likely need an injury ahead of him on the depth chart to see any sort of significant role on this offense, but he’s great insurance as far as #3 backs go.

Gibson was also the Patriots’ best receiving back last season, averaging 1.26 yards per route run and taking 29 targets for a 23/206/0 slash line, as opposed to 0.62 yards per route run and a 33/168/1 slash line on 41 targets for Stevenson, but pass catching was a strength of Henderson’s game at the collegiate level and he is likely to take a big chunk of Gibson’s playing time on passing downs as well. Stevenson could also bounce back a little bit as a receiver, as his career average of 1.01 yards per route run significantly exceeds his 2024 average. This is a solid backfield overall.

Grade: B+

Interior Defenders

The Patriots weren’t as bad on defense as they were on offense last season, but they still made some big additions on this side of the ball this off-season. The biggest addition was interior defender Milton Williams, who they signed to a 4-year, 104 million dollar deal, making him the 3rd highest paid interior defender in the league. Williams has had solid PFF grades of 72.6, 69.7, and 70.1 over the past three seasons, playing the run pretty well and adding 9.5 sacks, 17 hits, and a 9.0% pressure rate, but he only has snap counts of 396, 494, and 500 over those three seasons, so he is a projection to the larger role the Patriots are almost definitely counting on him to play. Milton was a third round pick in 2021 and is still only going into his age 26 season, so he could easily have the upside to become an above average every down interior defender, but that’s not a guarantee and the Patriots are betting a lot of money to find out.

Williams will start next to Christian Barmore, who also has a lot of upside. A 2nd round pick in 2021, Barmore had PFF grades of 63.5 and 68.6 across snap counts of 598 and 327 in his first two seasons in the league, before breaking out with a 83.8 PFF grade across 750 snaps in 2023. Barmore was a high level pass rusher even in his first two seasons, combining for 12.5 sacks, 21 hits, and a 10.9% pressure rate in 44 games across the three seasons, and his run defense caught up with that in his third season. 

However, Barmore missed most of last season recovering from a serious illness and, while he is expected to return to full strength in 2025, that is not necessarily a guarantee. Even if he does return to full strength, he’s still a one-year wonder in terms of playing at the level he played at in 2023. Only in his age 26 season, he could be one of the better interior defenders in the league for years to come if he can return to form, but he comes with some downside as well.

Daniel Ekuale and Davon Godchaux were the Patriots’ top-2 interior defenders last season in terms of snaps played at 723 and 680 respectively, but they were a mediocre duo, with PFF grades of 60.3 and 51.6 respectively, and neither was retained this off-season. Jeremiah Pharms is their leader in terms of snaps played among returning interior defenders and he will likely still have a reserve role, but the 2022 undrafted free agent struggled with a 58.1 PFF grade across 457 snaps in the first significant action of his career in 2024 and he will likely continue struggling in 2025.

The Patriots also added Khyiris Tonga in free agency and used a 4th round pick on Joshua Farmer to give them additional depth at the interior defender position. Tonga has mostly been solid in his career, with PFF grades of 52.1, 77.9, 67.7, and 60.0 in four seasons since being selected in the 7th round in 2021, but he has only played snap counts of 217, 276, 188, and 229 in those four seasons, so he would be best as a deep reserve and would be a projection to a larger role if forced into one. Farmer, meanwhile, has upside, but is unlikely to make a significant positive impact in year one. This should be a solid position group overall, led by Christian Barmore, who is returning from a lost season, and Milton Williams, who was added in free agency.

Grade: B+

Edge Defenders

The Patriots also added Harold Landry and K’Lavon Chaisson in free agency, on deals worth 43.5 million over 3 years and 3 million over 1 year respectively. They will replace Deatrich Wise, who left this off-season after receiving a mediocre 59.7 PFF grade across 409 snaps last season, and they will take some of the burden off of Keion White and Anfernee Jennings, who were likely overstretched last season with snap counts of 830 and 831 respectively.

White will probably be the best of the bunch. A 2023 2nd round pick, White was decent as a rookie with a 64.2 PFF grade across 522 snaps before taking a step forward in year two with a 68.5 PFF grade, holding up against the run and totaling 5 sacks, 10 hits, and a 10.5% pressure rate. He could be even better in his third season in the league in 2024, especially if a reduced snap count makes him more efficient. Jennings, meanwhile, is best as a situational run stopper, with PFF grades of 71.4, 78.0, 85.9, and 73.0 against the run in four seasons in the league, but only a career 8.4% pressure rate, including just 2.5 sacks, 6 hits, and a 8.9% pressure rate in 2024.

Landry is also a better run defender than pass rusher, totaling 50.5 sacks, 54 hits, and a 9.8% pressure rate in 98 career games, while surpassing 60 on PFF in run defense grade in every season except his rookie season in 2018, including a 82.2 run defense grade last season (6th among edge defenders), which offset the 9 sacks, 6 hits, and 7.1% pressure rate he had as a pass rusher. I would expect him to be a similar player again in 2025, above average as a run defender and below average as a pass rusher. He rejoins former head coach Mike Vrabel, who he was with in Tennessee for the first six seasons of his career from 2018-2023.

Chaisson, meanwhile, is a bust as a 2020 1st round pick, finishing below average on PFF in each of his first four seasons in the league, on an average of just 336 snaps per season, but he seemed to take a step forward in his fifth season in the league, finishing with a 63.0 PFF grade across 508 snaps. It’s possible last season proves to be a fluke and, even if it wasn’t, it’s not exactly a great season, but he’s always had talent and is still only in his age 26 season, so it’s very possible he has permanently turned a corner and will remain at least a decent rotational player. This is a decent, if unspectacular edge defender group.

Grade: B

Linebackers

The Patriots also added Robert Spillane and Jack Gibbens to a linebacking corps that also returns their top-2 linebackers in terms of snaps played from last season, Jahlani Tavai (916 snaps) and Christian Elliss (514 snaps). Spillane signed for 33 million over 3 years, while Gibbens signed for just 1.3 million over 1 year. Spillane is likely locked into a starting role by virtue of his salary. Spillane has been one of the best run stopping linebackers in the league over the past three seasons, with PFF run defense grades of 77.3, 89.0, and 87.3 respectively, but he has also consistently struggled in coverage, with PFF coverage grades of 39.5, 59.0, and 48.8 respectively. Now in his age 30 season, he is who he is at this stage of his career and could start to decline in 2025. He might not play quite every down, coming off the field in some passing situations in a deep linebacking corps, but I expect him to play significant snaps as a starter.

Tavai had PFF grades of 73.5 and 86.6 across snap counts of 570 and 838 in 2022 and 2023 respectively, but he fell to a 54.7 PFF grade across 916 snaps in 2024. That’s largely in line with how Tavai played before joining the Patriots, when he had PFF grades of 61.6 and 32.1 on snap counts of 597 and 624 in 2019 and 2020 respectively. Tavai was a second round pick in 2019 and has always had upside, but it’s very possible he will never be the same linebacker he was under former head coach Bill Belichick. Tavai is still relatively young in his age 29 season and could have some bounce back potential, but he also could continue struggling.

Elliss actually played pretty well last season, with a 72.6 PFF grade across 514 snaps as a part-time player. That kind of came out of nowhere, as the 2021 undrafted free agent had only played 150 nondescript snaps in three seasons in the league prior to last season, so he could regress in 2025, but he could still earn a role at least as a coverage linebacker and has a good chance to be useful in that role. 

Gibbens, meanwhile, is a 2022 undrafted free agent signing from Mike Vrabel’s Titans. He had a decent 60.0 PFF grade across 214 snaps as a rookie, seemed to break out as a solid situational run stopper in 2023, with a 71.2 PFF grade across 628 snaps, and he seemed to be on his way to an even better season in 2024, when he had a 83.2 PFF grade across 234 snaps, but he suffered a season ending injury and wasn’t retained as a restricted free agent. Now in New England, he should at least be good depth, but could also earn a role as an early down linebacker. This isn’t a spectacular unit, but the Patriots have options in a deep group overall.

Grade: B+

Secondary

The Patriots’ secondary was the strength of their defense last season and should remain a strength in 2025. Christian Gonzalez, who the Patriots selected 17th overall in 2023, has been the best draft pick the Patriots have had in years. He flashed a lot of talent with a 80.8 PFF grade across 209 snaps in an injury shortened rookie season and translated that to a season-long role in 2024, when he ranked 12th among cornerbacks on PFF with a 76.0 grade. Still only going into his age 23 season, there is no reason to expect Gonzalez won’t develop into one of the top cornerbacks in the league for years to come.

The Patriots gave Carlton Davis a 3-year, 54 million dollar deal to hopefully upgrade the other cornerback spot, with Jonathan Jones leaving this off-season after a 60.7 PFF grade across 712 snaps. Davis finished last season with a 74.5 PFF grade and, while that was the best season of his career and he has been inconsistent throughout his career, he has also finished above 60 on PFF in all but one of his seven seasons in the league, since being selected in the 2nd round in 2018. He’s still relatively young in his age 29 season and should at least be a solid starter. The one concern with him is injuries, as he has missed at least two games due to injury in every season in the league, with 27 games missed total. 

Slot cornerback Marcus Jones remains. He’s a solid option when healthy, with PFF grades of 67.6, 64.2, and 70.2 in three seasons in the league since being selected in the 3rd round in 2022, but he’s missed at least two games in every season in the league, with 20 games missed total. The 586 snaps he played last season were a career high. If he can stay healthy, he should remain a solid slot option, still only in his age 27 season, but it seems likely he will miss more time with injury at some point this season.

Cornerback depth is an issue, especially given how injury prone some of the starters are. The top reserve options are 2023 7th round pick Alex Austin, who has been decent but unspectacular with PFF grades of 62.0 and 61.1 across snap counts of 216 and 234 in two seasons in the league, Marcellas Dial, a 2024 6th round pick who played 61 nondescript snaps as a rookie, and 4th round rookie Craig Woodson. One of those three would be forced into a significant role if injuries strike ahead of them on the depth chart and they could easily struggle in that significant role.

At safety, Jabrill Peppers leads the way and is one of the better safeties in the league when on the field. He was limited to 372 snaps in six games due to off-the-field problems last season, but he still had a 82.3 PFF grade, after posting a 87.3 PFF grade across 955 snaps in 2023 and a 75.0 PFF grade across 398 snaps in a situational role in 2022. Peppers is now heading into his age 30 season and could start to decline soon, but even if he declines somewhat, the Patriots’ defense will still benefit from likely having him on the field for significantly more games in 2025 than he played in 2024.

Peppers will likely start next to Kyle Dugger, who has been a solid starter for most of his career, but who struggled mightily in a down year last season, finishing with a 44.3 PFF grade across 759 snaps. Prior to last season, the 2020 2nd round pick had finished above 60 in all four seasons in the league, including PFF grades of 71.8 and 78.4 respectively in 2021 and 2022 respectively. Still only going into his age 29 season, Dugger has obvious bounce back potential in 2025. One concern for him is durability, as he has missed at least two games in four of five seasons in the league, with 10 total games missed in his career.

Luckily, the Patriots do have better depth at safety than at cornerback. Marte Mapu is a 2023 3rd round pick who took a step forward in year two, with a 63.4 PFF grade across 487 snaps, after a 50.0 PFF grade across 204 snaps as a rookie. Dell Pettus is a 2024 undrafted free agent who flashed potential with a 73.9 PFF grade across 341 snaps as a rookie last season. Jaylinn Hawkins, their top reserve last season, had a PFF grade of 60.1 across 613 snaps, but that was the first season above 60 on PFF for him in five seasons in the league since going in the 4th round in 2020. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Mapu or Pettus took over the top reserve role this season, as both are higher upside options than Hawkins. Overall, this is a well above average secondary, led by top cornerback Christian Gonzalez and top safety Jabrill Peppers.

Grade: A-

Kicker

Joey Slye was the Patriots’ kicker last season and he was below average, costing the Patriots about 5.42 points below average. In total, he made just 78.8% of his field goals last season. The Patriots let him go this off-season and replaced him with 6th round pick Andres Borregales, who was one of the most effective collegiate kickers throughout his career, surpassing 80% in field goal percentage in all four seasons, including an 18 of 19 final season in which he hit 7 of 8 from 40+ with a long of 56. It wouldn’t be hard for him to be an upgrade over Slye right away and he has the upside to be an above average kicker for years to come.

Grade: B

Conclusion

The Patriots overpaid many of their free agent additions this off-season, but between their free agent additions, what looks like a strong draft class, their new coaching staff, and quarterback Drake Maye going into his second season in the league, it’s not hard to see how this team could take a big step forward, after finishing just 4-13 last season. Perhaps the biggest thing working in their favor this season is that they have one of the weakest schedules in the league. That could be enough to propel a decent team to sneak into the post-season in the AFC.

Update: The surprise release of Jabrill Peppers and the uncertainty injury situation of cornerback Christian Gonzalez hurts this team’s playoff chances.

Prediction: 9-8, 2nd in AFC East