Bradyn Swinson’s second act is starting with a different approach.
The Patriots edge rusher spent his rookie year learning the hard way. A fifth-round pick, Swinson admitted he didn’t handle things with enough seriousness, and that showed when he was cut at the end of training camp.
He found his way back on the practice squad, then onto the active roster in November, but his role never really took off. Swinson appeared in only three games, played 27 defensive snaps, and sat inactive for the playoffs.
That kind of season can either fade into the background or become the wake-up call. For Swinson, it clearly became the latter.
His offseason reset began with a conversation with head coach Mike Vrabel and team nutritionist Ted Harper, and the biggest change came in the kitchen. Swinson overhauled his diet, dropped weight, and trimmed away the habits that weren’t helping him.
“I lost a ton of weight,” Swinson said. “Really just understanding the business side of everything, just losing weight, staying on my diet, and just focusing on the stuff that they want me to get better at.”
That meant leaving behind the fast-food snacking and candy-heavy routine that once included Fruit Roll-Ups and Gushers. In its place: more vegetables, better discipline, and even a few surprises.
“I never thought I’d eat plantains,” he joked. “You got to sacrifice if you want to be great in this league.”
Swinson said he played at around 270 pounds as a rookie. He reported to training camp at 255, and the difference is already showing up in how he feels and moves.
“I’m a lot stronger, and I like looking in the mirror now,” he said. “It’s good to look in the mirror when you got a couple of abs right there.
But everything is going well. Just my overall speed of the game and just understanding the game and the overall power that I have behind myself now.
We don’t have pads on now, but I’m looking forward to that.”
The talent was never the question. In his final season at LSU, Swinson put together one of the most productive pass-rushing years in college football, finishing with 60 pressures and 8.5 sacks. Now the path is opening up again, this time in a Patriots edge room that is still looking for someone to step forward next to veteran Dre’Mont Jones.
So far, Swinson has drawn praise from the coaching staff for the work he’s put in throughout the offseason. He says he’s ready to make that count once the real chances arrive.
“Being ready for when the opportunity arises,” Swinson said. “Just always being prepared.
It doesn’t matter who’s there, and who’s not. It’s more about what you’re going to do.
I’m already focused on what I need to do. We got a great group of guys, a lot of guys that are hungry.
I’m hungry, as well.”
In Other News...
Patriots Camp Got More Physical And Two Key Health Concerns Emerged
The Patriots fourth training camp practice brought a noticeable step up in intensity, with the team in shells for the first time this summer and the drills looking a little closer to real football. There were still several players out because of injury designations, but the on-field work offered a clearer look at the competition and the rhythm of the offense, with Drake Maye, Tommy DeVito and Behren Morton all getting their chances while Kayshon Boutte paced the receivers and Andy Borregales stayed busy on field goals.
The bigger concern came from the health front, where two key players did not finish the session after the physicality picked up. Any early exit in camp gets attention, especially when the Patriots are trying to build continuity on both sides of the ball, and the sight of Carlton Davis and Rhamondre Stevenson leaving practice before it was over added a different kind of urgency to an otherwise productive day. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Face A Costly Defensive Line Decision They Can't Miss
The Patriots still have a defensive line question hanging over the roster, and it is the kind that can shape how aggressive they get before the market thins out. One name worth watching is Tampa Bay tackle Vita Vea, a massive interior presence who would instantly change the look of New Englands front if the price ever made sense.
There is plenty standing in the way, though. Vea is already 31, would come with a hefty contract ask and would almost certainly cost real draft capital, which matters for a Patriots team that already sent a first-round pick to Philadelphia for A.J. Brown last month. Tampa Bay has not officially put Vea on the market, so for now New England is left weighing the appeal of a rare difference-maker against the cost of making a move that might be too rich even for a team trying to fix its defense. [Read more 🡒]
Bill Belichicks UNC Gamble Just Took Another Ugly Turn
Bill Belichicks first year at North Carolina already carried plenty of scrutiny after the Tar Heels stumbled to a 4-8 finish and spent much of the season near the bottom of the offensive rankings. Now the off-field structure around the program is drawing attention too, with the university saying a human resources matter involving a key football staffer has led to administrative leave.
UNC said the move is standard procedure and does not speak to the merits of the complaint, but it adds another layer of uncertainty around a program still trying to find its footing under a coach whose arrival was supposed to change the conversation. The timing is hardly ideal, either, with the Tar Heels only weeks away from opening the 2026 season against TCU in Dublin, Ireland. [Read more 🡒]