The New England Patriots attempted to add to their defensive line this week, but ultimately failed to do so. One of six teams to put in a waiver claim on former Las Vegas Raiders defender Jonah Laulu, they were undone by their record being superior to that of the other five potential claimants.
Besides the Patriots, the Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets also tried to bring Laulu on board, according to a report by NFL insider Jordan Schultz. The
1-5 Titans were awarded the 26-year-old on Wednesday.
Laulu entered the league as a seventh-round draft pick by the Colts in 2024 but was waived after his rookie training camp. He ended up with the Raiders as a waiver claim, and since then played 39 games with 22 starts for Las Vegas. Along the way, he registered 5.5 combined sacks — including 0.5 in five games this season.
However, Las Vegas’ new coaching staff under Klint Kubiak did not view him as an integral part of the team’s defensive rotation. After playing 68% of defensive snaps in 2025, he was on the field for only 23% so far this year. His release earlier this week did not come as a particular surprise.
For the Patriots, the move presented an opportunity to add another pass rusher to their interior defensive line. At the moment, the group consists of Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, Cory Durden, Joshua Farmer, DaQuan Jones and Leonard Taylor; Eric Gregory and Jeremiah Pharms Jr. offer additional depth on the practice squad. In total, New England has 52 players on its active roster, meaning that no follow-up move would have been necessary had Lautu been claimed.
The Patriots are traveling to Miami this week to take on the Dolphins in a 4:25 p.m. ET matchup on Nov. 1.
