The New England Patriots are walking into 2026 with something they didn’t have a year ago: a target on their backs.
After a surprise run to the AFC East title and a trip to the Super Bowl, the conversation around Mike Vrabel’s team has shifted fast. A lot of the early skepticism centers on the same thing - a much tougher schedule - and The Athletic’s Mike Jones has leaned into that, labeling the Patriots one of the NFL’s most overrated teams heading into 2026.
That take rests heavily on the jump in difficulty from the “powderpuff 2025 last-place schedule” to what awaits New England after winning the division. It’s a fair point. The Patriots are no longer the team sneaking up on anybody, and Jones also flagged a brutal opening stretch: three road games in the first four weeks and two back-to-back road trips in the first 10 weeks.
The early slate is especially unforgiving because the first four opponents are all 2025 playoff teams, with three of those games away from home. The first road trip sends New England back to Seattle for a rematch with the Seahawks, the team that crushed the Patriots in the 2025 Super Bowl. For a roster still deep in a major reconstruction, that’s a nasty way to start the year.
Jones also pointed to a real concern on defense: the Patriots still don’t appear to have a game-changing pass rush. That problem gets even sharper because second-round pick Jabe Jacas has yet to see the field, and starter Harold Landry III is not practicing after a 2025 knee injury.
Where the criticism starts to wobble is the idea that Drake Maye and A.J. Brown might need time to build “chemistry.”
That feels like the wrong worry. Brown is a proven No. 1 receiver, and there’s little reason to expect dysfunction between him and Maye.
The bigger picture is what should keep New England dangerous anyway. Maye is coming off a season that already pushed him into the MVP conversation, and the Patriots’ offense now has more help around him. Romeo Doubs is another new face, and the backfield pairing of Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson gives the team a bruising-and-explosive one-two punch on the ground.
That’s why the schedule talk only goes so far. Yes, the Patriots face a steeper climb in 2026.
Yes, they’ll have to prove last season wasn’t a fluke. But they also have one of the best young quarterbacks in football, and if the pieces around him come together, New England has a real shot to keep climbing.
In Other News...
Patriots Just Added A Familiar Defensive Lineman For A Reason
The Patriots have added another body to the interior defensive line, signing defensive tackle Casey Rogers after a successful workout and using the roster opening created when linebacker Otis Reese was released. Rogers is entering his third NFL season and is expected to provide rotational depth inside, a practical move for a team still sorting out its mix up front.
Rogers also brings a layer of familiarity with the coaching staff, which likely helped make the transition easier once the workout went well. The signing does not affect New Englands salary cap, and it gives the Patriots another experienced option while they continue to manage the edges of the roster with the season moving along. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Camp Is Putting One Thin Position Group Under The Microscope
Day 8 of Patriots training camp brought the usual blend of practice updates, injury watch and roster sorting, but it also kept attention on a position group that suddenly looks a lot thinner than usual. New England added defensive tackle Casey Rogers from the UFL, another move that reinforces how much the team is still trying to stabilize the interior of its defensive line as camp moves deeper into the summer.
The rest of the days reporting centered on who was on the field, who was not and how the coaching staff is shaping early roster projections. There were the standard rounds of media availability from players and coaches, along with notes on participation and recovery, but the bigger picture is hard to miss: the Patriots are still evaluating bodies and roles up front, and every camp rep matters when a position group is being watched this closely. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Camp Is Putting Unexpected Pressure On Two Position Battles
Early in Patriots training camp, the most interesting roster fights are not always the ones involving the biggest names. Tight end and cornerback have both turned into spots to watch, with rookies Eli Raridon and Tanner Arkin getting a real look as the team sorts through depth and roles behind the established pieces. Head coach Mike Vrabel and quarterback Drake Maye have both offered encouraging views of the progress being made, which matters this time of year because summer practices often reveal who can handle more than just a handful of snaps.
Raridon and Arkin have each found ways to stay in the mix through the first weeks, and their work has added a little extra pressure to a competition that was already more open than it first appeared. Karon Prunty has also been part of that quieter roster battle, giving the Patriots more to evaluate as camp moves along and the cuts get closer. Nothing is settled yet, but the way these lesser-known players have kept showing up in key spots suggests the final decisions may be harder than expected. [Read more 🡒]