From Practice Squad to Playoff Starter: Cory Durden’s Rise Reflects Patriots’ New Identity
FOXBORO - When you think of breakout stories in the NFL, they usually start with a high draft pick or a big-name free agent. Cory Durden’s story doesn’t follow that script. In fact, it starts at the bottom - undrafted, cut by the Giants, and signed to the Patriots’ practice squad just days before the 2025 season kicked off.
Now? He’s not just sticking around.
He’s starting. He’s producing.
And he’s thinking bigger.
“I feel like Coach Vrabes has changed the trajectory of my career,” Durden said this week. “At first it was just trying to do anything to stick… but now I feel like I’m gonna show that I’m one of the top D-tackles in the league.”
That’s not just talk. Durden has backed it up with the kind of production that turns heads in film rooms and front offices alike.
After bouncing around practice squads with the Rams and Giants, and logging just 84 defensive snaps last season, Durden exploded for 450 snaps this year. He’s started five of the Patriots’ last seven games and has become a key piece in Mike Vrabel’s defense.
The numbers tell part of the story: a 75.9 overall Pro Football Focus grade - good for 10th among all qualified defensive tackles. He’s tied for first in pass-rush win rate at 19.4%, and his 89.9 pass-rushing grade ranks third. That’s not just solid production - that’s elite territory.
And yet, Durden is still chasing his first official NFL sack.
“I’ve missed a lot of opportunities,” he admitted. “If you really go look at the film, like, I should have nine sacks, eight, nine sacks.
So it’s frustrating… but I’m just waiting on my first one to come. And then I know that’ll be the tip of the iceberg.”
For all the near-misses, Durden’s presence has been felt. He’s collapsing pockets, forcing quarterbacks to move, and disrupting timing - all without bringing the QB down for the stat sheet.
But don’t let the zero in the sack column fool you. The tape shows a different story.
And Durden knows it.
“Hopefully, I get one this weekend,” he said with a smile. “Why not start in the championship game?”
That kind of confidence - earned, not manufactured - is part of what’s made Durden such a compelling figure in New England’s locker room. He’s not just a feel-good story. He’s a player who’s developed into a legitimate contributor, and he’s doing it in high-leverage moments.
Interim defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr pointed to Durden as a prime example of in-season growth.
“His technique in the run game and the pass game has just skyrocketed,” Kuhr said. “Pad level, strike, hands, how he sheds - all that’s gotten better. I’m proud of him for that.”
Durden’s evolution didn’t happen overnight. He was once a four-star recruit who led Florida State in sacks back in 2019.
But injuries, COVID, and a transfer to NC State threw his college career off track. He went undrafted in 2023, landed with the Lions, and bounced around until the Patriots gave him a shot.
Now, under Vrabel’s watch, he’s found his footing - and then some.
“They let him go,” Vrabel said after the Patriots beat the Giants in Week 13. “They told him he wasn’t good enough to play for the Giants, and we thought he was good enough to play for the Patriots.
So I’m happy for him. Made some plays and continues to help us - but also help himself.
And I love that.”
Vrabel and defensive line coach Clint McMillan have worked with Durden to tailor his game to his strengths. They’re not asking him to be someone he’s not - they’re helping him become the best version of himself.
“He’s not built like Zach Allen,” Vrabel said. “You get together with the player and figure out a couple moves that may work for them, then go about practicing those through the week. So they’re not trying things that maybe they’re not good at.”
Durden has taken that to heart. He’s been studying players with similar builds - guys like Chris Jones and Jeffrey Simmons - to fine-tune his own approach.
“I want to work on my upper body flexibility to be able to turn my shoulders like [Jones],” he said. “I think Jeffrey Simmons is probably the best D-tackle in the league right now, just looking at him and the way he violently rushes.”
Durden’s next goal? Becoming a true three-down lineman. He’s already making noise on early downs, but he wants to be out there when it matters most - every snap, every situation.
“Being a first-, second- and third-down D-tackle is the next step for me,” he said. “Not just being a guy who’s limited to first and second down.”
That progression feels inevitable given how far he’s come. Durden’s emergence has mirrored the Patriots’ season under Vrabel - gritty, resilient, and built on maximizing overlooked talent.
New England has leaned heavily on under-the-radar pickups this year, and no one has embodied that more than Durden. He’s gone from cut-day casualty to playoff difference-maker, and he’s not done yet.
The sack will come. The full-time role might not be far behind. But for now, Durden is doing what every coach wants to see in January: getting better each week, playing meaningful football, and proving he belongs - not just on the roster, but in the spotlight.