Before going on their record-breaking free agency spending spree last spring, the New England Patriots brought another player aboard who had been released from his previous team. Harold Landry, a longtime member of the Tennessee Titans, was signed to a three-year, $43.5 million contract before free agency frenzy began.
Landry did enjoy some success early in his Patriots tenure — he was voted a captain and picked up 5.5 sacks in his first seven games — but ultimately was limited down the stretch because
of a nagging knee ailment. After playing 78.7% of defensive snaps over the first half of the season, he was limited to 33.8% after popping up on the injury report in Week 12.
Given his injury history, minor role in the playoffs, and the fact that he is set to turn 30 this offseason, could Landry be a candidate to step away? Not according to Patriots executive vice president of player personnel.
“He’s got to, first and foremost, try to get healthy,” Wolf told reporters at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday. “Another culture guy that came in, that really was able to deliver and act upon Coach [Mike] Vrabel’s messaging to the defense. So, yeah, we would expect him back.”
Landry and Vrabel go back to 2018, when the former was part of the latter’s first draft class with the Titans. Over the next few seasons, the outside linebacker became a core member of Tennessee’s defense and an unsurprising target for Vrabel’s new team in March 2025.
He effectively was inserted into the Patriots’ starting lineup right away, and would have remained there throughout the season if not for his injury woes. Heading into 2026, his role should therefore look similar even though it remains to be seen what the edge group as a whole will look like.
While Landry is set to return, fellow starter K’Lavon Chaisson is an unrestricted free agent. Even if Chaisson is retained, the Patriots would stand to benefit from an infusion of high-end talent — talent that very well could come through the draft.
If they decide to go that route, Wolf explained that the Patriots would be looking for a multi-purpose player very much in the same mold as Landry.
“Pass rush, speed and violence, explosiveness, first-step quickness, the ability to win in multiple ways — you can’t just be an edge run-around-the-hoop guy at this level,” he said. “There are some guys in college that are able to be successful that way, but you need different things in your toolbox. I think the guys that can rush with power are maybe at more of a premium — the guys that are athletic and can rush with power. That’s why everyone’s looking for pass rushers in the league. It’s not just going to be us. So, we’ll see if we can improve that spot.”
