Leonard Taylor III has spent enough time in New England now to know what his opportunity looks like. This summer, it’s coming in a more visible form.
With Christian Barmore, Milton Williams and Cory Durden sitting comfortably atop the Patriots’ defensive tackle depth chart, the open question in camp has been the next man up. After 12 practices, Taylor is making a strong case to be that fourth tackle.
He’s been active in team drills, flashing pressure from the interior and even getting a hand on a pass during Friday’s scrimmage. For a player who spent most of last season on the practice squad, the extra reps have mattered.
“It feels good. We all coming together.
You know, we’re putting in the work, especially the d-line,” Taylor told reporters last week about how the summer has been. “So it’s been real good.”
Taylor’s path to this point has been a winding one. He entered the league in 2024 as an undrafted free agent with the New York Jets, stayed there for more than a season, and then got cut loose before the Patriots brought him in as a depth addition.
That move turned into a much bigger story than anyone likely expected. Taylor became the kind of player who kept earning elevations from week to week, and his biggest moment came in the AFC Championship last January when he deflected Wil Lutz’s field goal to help send New England to the Super Bowl.
Now the 24-year-old is getting a full year in the system, and he knows that changes the way everything feels.
“I mean, it’s a big difference, you know, coming from one organization to this organization,” Taylor said. “Just knowing that I’m welcomed here, I got the opportunity to perform and every chance I got to go out there.
So it’s a big blessing. It’s great to be here.”
Taylor appeared in seven games last year and finished with nine tackles, a quarterback hit and that field goal block. His rise has not gone unnoticed inside the building, either.
“My boy Lenny T,” Barmore laughed earlier in camp when asked about Taylor’s growth. “Everybody see what he go through ... I’m proud of him, everybody’s proud of him.”
Taylor says he’s still learning, but he also sounds like a player who knows where he stands now.
“I’m still picking stuff, picking stuff up every day,” Taylor said. “You know, continue to learn each and every day.
It’s always something new to learn, but I feel pretty comfortable where I’m at. Just going out there, playing my best ball for real.”
The Patriots’ defensive tackle room looked different a year ago. Barmore, Williams and Durden were in place, but Khyiris Tonga was also part of the mix before leaving in free agency for the Kansas City Chiefs. His departure created an opening for younger players such as Eric Gregory and Joshua Farmer, but Taylor has emerged as the clearest candidate for that role.
He says the difference between now and last year is simple: he knows the assignment.
“I feel like I’m more comfortable knowing what I got to do,” he said about what’s changed from last year to this year. “I get to go out there and play my ball. ... I get to go out there and dominate, for real.
Taylor spent most of 2025 contributing on special teams, but he’s ready for more if the Patriots need it. However they use him, the message is the same. He’s happy to be here, eager for the chance, and ready to keep last season’s momentum going.
“I feel like whatever it takes to help the team, at the end of the day, I’ll do whatever,” Taylor said. “But just go out there and play my role for real and get my opportunities whenever I get it.
In Other News...
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For New England, these are the kinds of practices that can quietly change a depth chart. With positional shuffling still happening and injury management part of the equation, every rep matters for players trying to make the right impression before the Colts get a closer look. The competition is not settled yet, and Monday only added to the sense that a few roster decisions could be moving in real time. [Read more 🡒]
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Caedan Wallace, New Englands 2024 third-round selection, had seen limited action since arriving in Foxborough, appearing in 10 games and making two starts across the past two seasons. For a team still trying to stabilize and reshape its protection plan, the release underscores how quickly roster math can change when a young lineman has not carved out a steady role. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Just Moved On From A Recent Draft Pick As Camp Tightens
Training camp always has a way of sharpening roster decisions, and the Patriots have already made one of the more notable ones on the line. Caedan Wallace, a third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, is no longer on the roster as New England keeps trimming and sorting through its depth ahead of the season.
Niko Lalos is back in the picture too, after first joining the Patriots on a one-year deal, getting let go in May and now returning to the roster. Moves like these are part of the churn this time of year, but with camp tightening, every transaction carries a little more weight as New England keeps refining the group it plans to carry forward. [Read more 🡒]