Craig Woodson already gave the Patriots something to build on as a rookie. Now New England is hoping Kevin Byard III can help turn that solid first season into something bigger.
The Patriots’ secondary got a major boost this offseason with the addition of Byard, a 2025 All-Pro free safety who tied for the NFL lead with seven interceptions last season. Beyond the production, there’s another reason his arrival matters: he’s the kind of veteran who can pass along real value to a younger teammate.
That teammate is second-year safety Craig Woodson.
Woodson, a 2025 fourth-round pick, was one of the more productive surprises from that draft class. He played in all 17 games and started 15 times at safety, giving the Patriots steady snaps right away. He finished with 79 total stops, two fumble recoveries and three passes defensed, a rookie line that pointed to a player who belonged.
What he didn’t do was create takeaways. Woodson didn’t record an interception in 2025, and that’s the next step everyone around the team wants to see.
Byard is built for that kind of mentorship. The 32-year-old has spent 11 seasons in the league and has 36 interceptions on his résumé.
His best season since 2017 came last year, when he grabbed seven picks for Tennessee. That ballhawking instinct is exactly what the Patriots are hoping can rub off on Woodson.
If Woodson can add that playmaking element to his game, it changes the picture for New England’s defense. It gives Mike Vrabel a proven All-Pro presence at safety and, at the same time, a chance to unlock more from a young player who already looks like a useful piece.
For the Patriots, that’s the ideal outcome: Byard making an immediate impact while helping Woodson take the next leap.
In Other News...
Patriots Just Took Another Painful Hit To Their Pass Rush
New Englands pass rush took another hit this offseason when KLavon Chaisson moved on after a strong 2025 campaign in Foxborough. The edge rusher gave the Patriots real production, finishing with 7.5 sacks in 16 games and ranking among their most disruptive defenders, which made his departure a notable loss for a defense that has been trying to build more consistent pressure off the edge.
The Patriots have tried to answer that by bringing in DreMont Jones, and there has at least been some early optimism from his spring work. Still, Chaissons exit leaves a familiar question hanging over this group: whether New England has done enough to replace the kind of pass-rush impact it just watched walk out the door. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Just Added A New Tight End Fans Will Recognize
Jeremiah Franklin is getting another look with the Patriots just before training camp, and it comes with a familiar feel for fans who followed him at Boston College. The undrafted tight end first surfaced in New England after rookie minicamp, then waited nearly three more months before the team brought him back on a free-agent deal, a sign the staff wanted more time before deciding he was worth a roster spot.
Franklin arrives with some local familiarity and a solid college rsum, having finished his Boston College career with 93 catches, 1,010 yards and six touchdowns. The next question is how much he can separate himself in a tight end room that needs bodies and competition, especially with the team still sorting through what it wants from the position as camp gets underway. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Vrabel's Latest Patriots Press Conference Left Fans Rolling Their Eyes
With training camp getting closer, Mike Vrabel made his latest Patriots press conference a little less ordinary by showing up with a German Shepherd puppy named BB, decked out in a Patriots jersey. The scene was meant to be light, but it also came at a time when every move around the new head coach is getting extra attention, especially with New England trying to settle into a new era under him.
Vrabel is still the man in charge as camp approaches, even as the noise around him has not fully gone away. There have been questions swirling beyond the football field, and the optics of a puppy-filled media session only added another layer to a situation that already has fans watching closely for how the Patriots handle the next stretch of the offseason. [Read more 🡒]