When the Patriots opened Mike Vrabel’s first training camp in 2025, the roster had enough holes to make several position groups feel like rolling the dice. A year later, the picture is better in some places, but the same basic problem is still hanging around: New England has real talent at the top, and a whole lot of uncertainty after that.
The additions of A.J. Brown, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Dre’Mont Jones, and Kevin Byard should lift the floor.
But the Patriots’ 2026 ceiling may still depend on how many of those open 53-man roster spots can be turned into useful answers. With camp set to begin July 24, here are the five groups carrying the most uncomfortable questions.
Quarterback is the obvious place to start. The Patriots moved on from Joshua Dobbs this offseason, and that part wasn’t exactly shocking. What does stand out is the decision to extend Tommy DeVito and hand him the No. 2 job behind Drake Maye.
There is at least some buzz around seventh-round rookie Behren Morton. Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal wrote, “The Patriots wanted to get a QB into McDaniels' development pipeline, and so far, Behren Morton looks the part,” Bedard wrote for BSJ.
“I'm also not sold on Tommy DeVito as the backup after an underwhelming offseason. Doubtful Morton can make a charge this season, but I don't rule it out.”
That matters because Maye is coming off a long playoff run and was banged up by the end of it. If he misses any time in 2026, New England’s choice not to bring in a proven backup could end up looking like Vrabel’s biggest second guess of the offseason.
Cornerback is another spot where the top end looks strong and the depth looks shaky. Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, and Marcus Jones give the Patriots one of the better starting cornerback groups in the league. After that, though, things get murky fast.
The No. 4 corner job was already a weak point in 2025, when camp standouts DJ James and Alex Austin didn’t stick. Fifth-round pick Karon Prunty could change that if he surprises, but if he doesn’t, the Patriots may again be one injury away from trouble.
Davis is entering his age-30 season, and while he played all 17 games last year, his career high in a regular season before that was 14. If the good health luck disappears, Prunty, Kindle Vildor, and Charles Woods could all be pressed into real action.
Inside linebacker is in a similar spot, even after the group settled down last season. Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss were rough in coverage early in 2025, then both found their footing and became important parts of the run to Super Bowl LX. Still, Spillane played only 13 games because of injuries, and he’s now 31.
The Patriots didn’t do much to challenge those two. Veterans K.J.
Britt and Chad Muma were added, but they look more like depth pieces than threats to the starters. They’ll likely be competing more with rookies Namdi Obiazor and UDFA Khalil Jacobs than pushing the top of the depth chart.
It would not be a surprise if New England ends up shopping for another off-ball linebacker through a trade or the waiver wire.
Tight end has a different kind of problem: not enough bodies. Hunter Henry, rookie Eli Raridon, and veteran fullback Reggie Gilliam look like locks, and the team seemed headed toward keeping a third tight end before Julian Hill’s season-ending injury changed the math. That leaves one roster spot that could be decided over the summer.
Raridon was a third-round pick, so the Patriots may already be counting on him for a meaningful role as TE2. But Henry is now 32, and the depth chart could use another veteran right now. Undrafted rookie Tanner Arkin has a path to a job, though New England could also decide the room needs outside help before camp is over.
The interior offensive line has been reshaped, but the back end is still unsettled. Garrett Bradbury is gone after a trade, Vera-Tucker is in as the new left guard, Mike Onwenu is back at right guard after restructuring his contract, and 2025 draft pick Jared Wilson is set to take over at center.
Ben Brown remains the veteran backup. Those four are safe.
After that, though, the picture gets fuzzy. The Patriots kept five interior linemen on the initial 53 last year, but it’s hard to say who would claim that fifth spot right now.
Caedan Wallace is the early favorite, while UDFAs Jacob Rizy and JonDarius Morgan are in the mix. Andrew Rupcic, Sebastian Gutierrez, and Mehki Butler are also in the hunt, though they’re mostly unknown quantities at this point.
Brown gives the Patriots a strong reserve option, and on a team-friendly contract, he’s about as good as it gets for experienced depth. Even so, if injuries hit, this group could need more help than it has right now.
In Other News...
Patriots May Have No Choice But To Make This Tight End Trade
The Patriots went into the offseason knowing tight end was a position they had to address, and the plan briefly looked manageable after they added Eli Raridon for depth. Julian Hills injury changed the equation, though, and it left New England in the market for a young veteran who could help sooner rather than later as the roster takes shape after the Super Bowl loss.
One possible path is a trade, especially if a tight end sitting behind a star on another depth chart becomes available. The Raiders have reasons to listen, and New England has the kind of draft capital and young receiver talent that could help grease a deal, but the real question is whether the Patriots are willing to pay enough to get the kind of player they need at a spot that suddenly feels a lot more urgent. [Read more 🡒]
Will Campbell Just Answered A Huge Patriots Fear
Will Campbell spent the offseason around some of the leagues better offensive linemen, working with Lane Johnson, Dion Dawkins and Tyler Guyton as he tries to sharpen the parts of his game that were exposed during a rocky rookie year. For a Patriots team that used the No. 4 overall pick on him, the focus has been on helping Campbell settle in, clean up the rough edges and look more like the player they believed they were getting when they made him their left tackle of the future.
The bigger backdrop is what happened in Super Bowl LX, where Campbells performance only added to the scrutiny that had started building late in the season. There had been plenty of noise about whether his best long-term fit might be somewhere else on the line, but New England has made clear it views him as a tackle and expects him to keep working on the blindside job the Patriots drafted him to handle. [Read more 🡒]
CBS Just Gave Drake Maye Another Patriots Fans Wont Forget
CBS Sports latest quarterback rankings gave Drake Maye a respectable but still eye-catching spot in the middle of the pack, placing the Patriots young passer 16th among NFL starters and in the outlets Borderline Stars tier. For a player who led the league in completion percentage and passer rating while helping push New England to the Super Bowl, it is a reminder that the national conversation has not quite caught up to the production.
The comparison at the top of the list only sharpens the debate, with Matthew Stafford landing above Maye despite the Patriots quarterbacks standout season. CBS pointed to the difference in surrounding conditions, noting Maye took more sacks and worked with a less effective receiving corps than Stafford did, and that context will matter again as New England keeps trying to build a more complete offense around him. [Read more 🡒]