The Patriots and Bills may be headed for another AFC East race where the real separator isn’t the quarterbacks or the new weapons on the outside. It’s the pass rush.
New England is trying to defend its division crown in 2026 with Drake Maye leading the way, and the Patriots have given him more help by adding A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs to the receiving corps. But while the offense has been upgraded, the defensive front still carries real uncertainty.
That was the heart of The Athletic’s look at the biggest question facing all 32 NFL teams. For the Patriots, Chad Graff pointed straight at the edge rush.
"Is their pass rush good enough? Even before spring practices started, it was fair to question whether the Patriots did enough this offseason to improve their pass rush.
Since then, we’ve learned that Harold Landry isn’t quite ready to practice and second-rounder Gabe Jacas underwent an unknown procedure that has led to a contract dispute, which meant he didn’t participate in any practices. Maybe Milton Williams is good enough in the interior to overcome the team’s weakness at edge rusher.
But they certainly didn’t put any concerns to rest this spring,"
That’s a familiar worry in New England. The Patriots finished tied for 28th in the NFL with 35 team sacks in 2025, and that kind of production won’t scare anyone.
The team used a second-round pick on Gabe Jacas to help address the issue, but he has yet to get on the field after the procedure that has fueled the contract dispute. There are questions about how much was known about that situation during the draft process, and fans are still waiting to see when he’ll be available and what he can do once he is.
Harold Landry’s knee rehab has only added to the concern. New England did bring in Dre’Mont Jones, but he isn’t viewed as a dynamic pass rusher, which leaves the Patriots with more to prove than solve at this point.
Buffalo isn’t exactly sitting pretty in that same area, either. The Bills’ defensive line has its own unresolved issues, and Tim Graham highlighted that problem for The Athletic as well.
"Have they figured out how to establish an effective pass rush? Another position has been lacking, too. For years, football boss Brandon Beane has tried to solve the problem of mediocre pass pressure"
The Bills tried to address it by signing Bradley Chubb and using a second-round pick on T.J. Parker after his disappointing 2025 season at Clemson. Gregory Rousseau, Deone Walker, and Ed Oliver are also in the mix up front, but the bigger question is whether that group can create steady pressure from week to week.
Buffalo was 27th in team sacks last season with 36, barely ahead of New England’s total. The two teams split their 2025 season series, and both believe they have enough at quarterback to stay in the hunt. That puts even more weight on the trenches.
If this division race comes down to one area, it may be the team that can actually get after the passer. New England hopes the moves it made are enough to make that edge its own for a second straight year.
In Other News...
Patriots Fans Can Finally Exhale About One Draft Decision
The Patriots entered the 2026 draft cycle with a little more flexibility at wide receiver than theyve had in recent years, thanks to the trade for A.J. Brown and a group that also includes Romeo Doubs and Mack Hollins. Even so, they were still being linked to several of the top receiver prospects, including KC Concepcion, whose playmaking ability and potential value as a return option made him an interesting name for New Englands board.
Concepcions fit was never just about adding another target, though, and that is part of why Patriots fans could breathe a bit easier once the draft unfolded. New England already has Marcus Jones handling punt returns, so the urgency to chase a receiver for that specific dual-purpose role was never as pronounced as it might have seemed on paper. And with the team addressing other needs elsewhere, the pressure around that particular draft decision faded quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Keep Getting Linked To One Veteran Pass Rush Fix
The Patriots keep surfacing in the same pass-rush conversation as the preseason moves closer, and it is not hard to see why. New Englands defensive front still needs help, and the connection between Mike Vrabel and familiar edge options has kept the speculation alive even without any official movement from the team.
What makes the chatter linger is that the need is not abstract. New England is trying to stabilize a group that has dealt with offseason turnover and injury uncertainty, and adding a veteran like Jadeveon Clowney would immediately change the shape of that discussion. For now, though, it remains exactly that, a discussion, with no sign yet that the Patriots are ready to turn the rumor into something real. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots May Have One More Tackle Move To Make
The Patriots have kept busy reworking the tackle group, and the position still feels like one of the more fluid parts of the roster. Caleb Lomu, Dametrious Crownover, James Hudson III, Will Campbell and Morgan Moses are all in the mix in some form, but the future roles for several of them are still not settled, which leaves room for another move if New England wants more clarity up front.
One option hanging out there is the kind of trade that makes sense for both sides, especially if the Patriots want to add another big, developmental piece without paying full price. The Browns have a tackle with uncommon size, but his availability has been shaped by injuries and a limited NFL track record, and a deal built around Marcus Bryant and a late-round pick has been floated as the sort of return that could get Cleveland to listen. [Read more 🡒]