The Patriots rebuilt their defensive line once already, and the results showed up fast.
After finishing 23rd in rush yards allowed per game and last in sacks per game under Jerod Mayo in 2024, New England’s front flipped the script in Mike Vrabel’s first season. The unit jumped to sixth in rush defense and 22nd in sacks per game, a clear step forward fueled by both coaching changes and a major personnel overhaul.
The roster churn was real. The Patriots traded Davon Godchaux, let Daniel Ekuale walk in free agency, and then brought Christian Barmore back after he missed most of the season because of medical issues.
They also added Milton Williams and Khyiris Tonga in free agency and drafted Joshua Farmer. Cory Durden emerged as an unexpected contributor, while UDFA Eric Gregory and Leonard Taylor also carved out roles later in the year.
Tonga is gone again in free agency, and Gregory was released and moved to the practice squad on cutdown day.
Even with that depth in place, there’s still a case for one more veteran swing before Week 1.
Larry Ogunjobi fits that bill.
New England recently added a fourth tight end to the active roster in Cameron Latu, which could put Tanner Arkin’s spot in danger if the Patriots decide they want to use that roster flexibility somewhere else. A veteran defender with a track record like Ogunjobi’s would make sense if the team wants more insurance along the interior.
Ogunjobi is a nine-year veteran and a third-round pick by the Browns out of Charlotte in 2017. In four seasons with Cleveland, he piled up 180 tackles, 13.5 sacks, and 29 tackles for loss before moving on to Cincinnati.
His lone season with the Bengals was his most productive as a pass rusher, when he posted a career-high 7.0 sacks. He then signed a three-year deal with the Steelers before the 2022 season.
His run in Pittsburgh was quieter. Over the next three years, he totaled 6.0 sacks and 15 TFLs. Last season, he signed with the Bills and finished with 19 tackles in 10 games after serving a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s PED policy.
He’s not the same player he once was, but there’s still value in a veteran who knows how to play the position and can steady a room. The Patriots saw how quickly depth gets tested last season, when Williams and Tonga both missed significant time and forced the team to lean on Gregory, Taylor, and Jeremiah Pharms.
If New England doesn’t want to burn a roster spot right now, Ogunjobi could also make sense on the practice squad until a need opens up. That route would likely come at the expense of one of the team’s defensive tackles: Gregory, Pharms, or Jalen Hunt, who was recently added after spending the preseason with the Jaguars.
If the Patriots stay healthy, maybe they never need to make the move. But if the injury bug hits again, Ogunjobi is the kind of free agent worth keeping close.
In Other News...
Patriots Rookie Earned A Roster Spot In A Way Nobody Expected
Quintayvious Hutchins found himself in a very modern kind of NFL moment this week, staying on the New England Patriots 53-man roster after the cutdown deadline and learning about it the same way plenty of fans did. The rookie outside linebacker had put together a solid training camp and preseason, and that work helped him stick as one of four outside linebackers on the roster.
What made the moment stand out was the route it took to reach him. Instead of a direct call or message from the team, Hutchins discovered he had made the Patriots through a social media post, a reminder of how abrupt and impersonal roster day can be even for players who did enough to survive it. For a rookie trying to carve out a role, the news was positive, but the way it arrived added an unexpected twist to an already tense process. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Pass Rush Problem Could Revive One Trade Possibility
Harold Landry III being unavailable to open the season has left the Patriots with a clear pass-rush hole, and that kind of need tends to keep front-office phones busy once the league settles in. One name that has lingered in the conversation is Josh Sweat of the Cardinals, a player New England has been tied to before and one whose fit would make sense for a defense looking for more pressure off the edge.
Arizona, though, is not currently planning to move him, which is the part that keeps this from being a simple fit-and-forget scenario. Dan Graziano has noted that the picture could change if the Cardinals drift out of contention, and if that happens the Patriots would be one of the teams worth watching before the trade deadline as they weigh whether to finally address a problem that has been visible since September. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Vrabel Is At The Center Of A Serious Patriots Media Controversy
The Athletics internal review into Dianna Russinis relationship with Mike Vrabel has put an uncomfortable spotlight on how closely NFL reporting and team access can overlap. The investigation centered on whether the former reporters connection to the Patriots head coach affected her coverage, and it concluded that the relationship ran afoul of the outlets standards because it was not disclosed, even though investigators did not find clear evidence that her reporting was biased.
Russini resigned while the review was still underway, leaving the episode to linger as much about newsroom process as about one reporter or one coach. The Athletic also said it would recommend editorial policy changes meant to guard against similar conflicts in the future, a reminder that for a franchise like the Patriots, the questions surrounding Vrabels circle can travel well beyond the field. [Read more 🡒]