The New England Patriots opened the 2026 season with a 13-10 loss, but the rookie class still left its fingerprints on the game. A few first-year players flashed in different phases, with edge rusher Gabe Jacas, tight end Eli Raridon and linebacker Namdi Obiazor each making noticeable contributions against Seattle.
Obiazor helped set the tone right away. The sixth-round pick out of TCU delivered a heavy hit on the opening kickoff and continued his work on special teams, where he logged 20 snaps. He didn’t get any defensive snaps, but he was active across those units and was one of several rookies who got on the field early.
Jacas provided the biggest defensive highlight of the group. After a preseason in which he didn’t stand out and a spring that was mostly lost to injury, the second-rounder came away with the first sack of his career.
He worked through a double team on the right side, bounced off contact and took down Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock as Lock tried to escape. Jacas added another tackle for loss later in the game, giving him a strong first step to his regular-season career.
The next day, head coach Mike Vrabel pointed to that performance when asked about Jacas.
"I thought it continues to improve. I thought that he was active," Vrabel said.
"I thought he set some good edges in the run game, and it was good to see him make a nice play and a tackle for loss. ... So, some good things, some things that we will have to coach and correct and fix on special teams.
But I thought that it was an improvement."
Raridon made his own kind of debut on offense. The third-round pick from Notre Dame, who did not score a touchdown in his final college season, caught a two-yard touchdown for the Patriots’ first points of the regular season. It was his only reception of the night, but it was a memorable one.
Working as the TE2 behind Hunter Henry, Raridon played 54% of the Patriots’ offensive snaps, or 38 total, just two fewer than presumed starting wide receiver Romeo Doubs. He also contributed with several solid blocks at the line of scrimmage and was on the field for plenty of the team’s final drives. Unlike Jacas and Obiazor, he did not play on special teams.
Other rookies were active as well, though they had smaller roles. Tight end Tanner Arkin, offensive tackles Caleb Lomu and Dametrious Crownover, edge rusher Quintayvious Hutchins and cornerback Channing Canada all saw some time on the field without factoring in as prominently.
Cornerback Karon Prunty, linebacker Erick Hunter and quarterback Behren Morton were inactive and will have another shot to get involved next week against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In Other News...
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Diggs night also carried the sort of edge that has always come with him, as his touchdown celebration drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that affected Washingtons chance to line up for a two-point try. Even so, the bigger takeaway for Patriots fans was harder to miss: the veteran receiver still looked very much like a player who has not regressed, which only sharpens the hindsight around New Englands call. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Already Face A Reggie Gilliam Question After Week 1
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That puts Gilliam in the middle of a subtle but important question for a team trying to get its run game moving. With A.J. Brown sidelined by injury, New England may need to lean harder on personnel that can help it create cleaner looks and more stability on the ground, and Gilliam fits that description as a potential piece of the answer. Whether his role grows quickly will say a lot about how the Patriots want to attack defenses after a Week 1 opener that exposed some familiar issues. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Make Another Early Depth Move Ahead Of Week 2
The Patriots continued fine-tuning their back end this week, making another round of practice squad changes as they prepare for Week 2. New England added wide receiver Chandler Brayboy and outside linebacker Xavier Holmes, a pair of moves that gives the team a little more depth at two spots while also keeping the roster churn moving early in the season. To make room, the Patriots released running back Hassan Haskins and safety Elliott Davison from the practice squad.
Brayboy and Holmes now get a chance to settle into the system, while the departures of Haskins and Davison show how fluid these early-season depth decisions can be. For a team still sorting out its weekly layering of position groups, the practice squad remains a useful place to keep options open, and these kinds of moves often hint at where the staff wants a little extra insurance heading into the next game. [Read more 🡒]