The New England Patriots spent this offseason acting like a team that knows exactly where the trapdoor is. After climbing out of the cellar last year to win the AFC East, then stringing together three playoff wins before representing the AFC in the Super Bowl, they did not settle in and admire the view. They attacked the roster, and the clearest message was simple: help Drake Maye.
That part of the plan looks sharp. Maye delivered a huge season, throwing for 4,394 yards with 31 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, and now he has a much more dangerous receiving setup around him.
General manager Eliot Wolf brought in A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs, and that duo gives New England a different kind of threat than it had a year ago.
Brown brings the kind of resume that changes how defenses line up. The seven-year veteran has done it with both the Titans and Eagles, and even with the fit in Philadelphia not always running smoothly alongside Jalen Hurts, the production never really dipped.
In 2023, he caught a career-high 106 passes for 1,456 yards with 7 touchdowns, then followed that with 78 catches for 1,003 yards and 7 scores last season. Doubs, meanwhile, arrives after four seasons in Green Bay and posted 55 catches for 724 yards and 6 touchdowns last year.
Put together, they give the Patriots a real 1-2 punch.
The concern now isn’t the starting lineup. It’s what happens once the game moves past the first wave of names.
On defense, New England is leaning on Milton Williams and Dre'Mont Jones to set the tone off the edge and inside. Williams logged 29 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 8 tackles for loss and 1 pass batted down last season, then took a bigger bite out of the postseason with 7 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 4 tackles for loss and 1 pass batted down. Defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr is counting on that playoff version of Williams to show up again during New England’s 4-game run in the postseason.
Jones brings a seven-year track record and comes off a season split between the Titans and Ravens in which he put up 43 tackles, 7.0 sacks, 1 pass defensed and 2 fumble recoveries. He has a path to being the team’s top edge rusher, though Williams is the more natural interior presence.
The issue is that the Patriots’ pass-rush depth looks shaky behind them. Gabe Jacas, a second-round pick out of Illinois this year, was expected to bring real juice, but he has not looked ready in camp and may need weeks - or even a full season - before he can handle those responsibilities. Joshua Farmer, who barely played last year, is set to back up Williams inside, and he still has not shown he can be consistently competent at this level.
That theme carries into the linebacker group, where Robert Spillane, Christian Ellis and Elijah Ponder are projected to do the heavy lifting. The problem is the second layer.
K.J. Britt has some NFL experience from his time with the Dolphins, but there are questions about how smoothly he’ll fit in with the Patriots.
Beyond him, Namdi Obiazor and Quintayvious Hutchins do not look like reserve linebackers who can reliably hold things together.
Even the secondary, which should be one of the defense’s strengths with Christian Gonzalez and Kevin Byard, has some thin spots. New England recently sent Boutte to the Texans in exchange for safety Jaylen Reed, and before that move the Patriots did not seem to have a reserve safety who could make a meaningful play.
Reed played in 7 games as a rookie and finished with 14 tackles and 1 fumble recovery. Twelve of those tackles came in a midseason 23-19 win over the Buffalo Bills.
In Other News...
Patriots May Have Found The Missing Piece In Their Backfield
With Terrell Jennings and Lan Larison dealing with injuries and Jam Miller no longer in the mix, the Patriots had a clear need to add some depth to their backfield. They answered it by sending a 2028 seventh-round pick to Arizona for running back Corey Kiner, a move that gives the roster another option behind the top two runners and helps stabilize a position that had been thinned out quickly.
Kiner arrives with a reputation as a versatile back, the kind of player who can give New England something useful in multiple situations if he settles in quickly. The bigger question now is how much of a role he can carve out right away, but the Patriots at least found a practical answer to an immediate problem while keeping the cost low. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Suddenly Have A Real Week 1 Backfield Concern
The Patriots went into camp expecting Rhamondre Stevenson to head the backfield and TreVeyon Henderson to give the offense a different kind of burst, but the plan has gotten a little shakier as the opener approaches. Stevenson remains positioned as the lead back, while Corey Kiner also sits in the mix, and Hendersons status has become the part of the equation worth watching most closely.
Henderson is working back from an ankle injury he suffered late in training camp, and while he has been around team activities, his return timetable is still not clear. New England appears content to be cautious with him for now, which makes sense this time of year but also leaves the Patriots with a legitimate Week 1 backfield question until his availability comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Leave Key Practice Squad Spots Open For Familiar Names
The Patriots filled out most of their initial practice squad with a dozen additions, but they still left five spots open as roster-building after cutdown day continues to take shape. An International Pathway Player joined the group without counting against the 16-man limit, while veteran punter Mitch Wishnowsky landed on the practice squad after Bryce Baringer was placed on injured reserve.
For a team always fine-tuning the back end of the roster, the open slots leave room for familiar faces and practical depth at spots where injuries can quickly force movement. New England already has help lined up at offensive line, wide receiver and running back, and a few more players are either working back from injury or expected to arrive soon, so the final version of the practice squad may still look a little different before long. [Read more 🡒]