One of the New England Patriots’ offseason goals this year was adding some speed to their defensive edge. However, when looking at their haul between free agency and the draft, the element remains missing. Or does it?
The Patriots, after all, do have a player on the roster who would fit that bill. Whether or not Bradyn Swinson can successfully fill that role is a different story, though.
Hard facts
Name: Bradyn Swinson
Position: Defensive edge/Outside linebacker
Jersey number: 43
Opening day age: 24 (7/4/2002)
Measurements:
6’3 1/2”, 255 lbs, 9 7/8” hand size, 33 3/8” arm length, 81 1/4” wingspan, 7.13s 3-cone drill, 4.33s short shuttle, N/A Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: New England Patriots (2025-) | College: Oregon (2020-22), LSU (2023-24)
A multi-sport athlete growing up, who lettered both in football and track at Chapel Hill High School in Douglasville, GA, Swinson was a highly-regarded recruit coming out. A three-star prospect, he received over 40 scholarship offers from schools such as North Carolina, Boston College and Missouri. Instead of joining any of them, however, he opted for Oregon, where he appeared in 30 games with one start over three seasons.
During his junior campaign, Swinson started looking for other opportunities and entered the transfer portal in December 2022. He enrolled at LSU the following January and finished his college career with a two-year stint in Baton Rouge. During that time, he played in 25 more games with 13 starts and picked up one second-team All-SEC selection.
In between his time as a Duck and a Tiger, Swinson combined to notch 128 tackles, 13.5 sacks and five forced fumbles. He joined the NFL as a fifth-round draft pick by the Patriots in 2025, but appeared in only four games as a rookie without registering any defensive stats.
Scouting report
Strengths: Swinson is a classic speed rusher off the edge, who combines a moldable frame with some good burst and acceleration out of his stance. He uses leverage well to stress offensive tackles to their outside shoulder, and also has the requisite bend to get under them. In general, his lower-body flexibility and quickness in addition to his consistent attack speed allow him to cause balancing and positioning issues for his opposition.
Swinson offers a variety of pass rushing moves and plays with active hands. He has a good feel for placing his initial punch while also working with an active lower half as a bull rusher. Despite not being the most powerful of players overall, his motor is running hot whenever he is on the field. This, in turn, makes him a competitive player either at the attack point or in clean-up duty. It also allowed him to show steady improvement as an edge-setter in the run game.
Weaknesses: Swinson is an able pass rusher, but he is not the most refined overall player yet. His eye discipline and spatial awareness have been uneven as has been his use of counters. He also is not a particularly powerful player at the point of attack — in part due to his comparatively average length and weight — which leads to questions about pass lane integrity and positioning relative to the rest of the pocket and the quarterback; Swinson being moved off his path might create openings for mobile QBs to exploit.
His developing play strength also might limit him to a comparatively one-dimensional role versus NFL competition, especially early on in his career. In 2025, for example, he played virtually no meaningful snaps on defense.
2025 review
Stats: 4 games (0 starts) | 27 defensive snaps (2.1%), 31 special teams snaps (5.7%) | 1 quarterback pressure (1 hurry) | 1 special teams tackle | 0 penalties
Season recap: Coming off his best collegiate season, Swinson was selected by the Patriots as the 146th overall pick in the fifth round of the NFL Draft. Just like he did in college, he showed some flashes of disruptive ability over the course of his rookie training camp and preseason; he ranked fourth on the team with four quarterback pressures during the exhibition part of the schedule. However, his contributions ultimately were not enough to secure a spot on the team.
Swinson was one of two drafted rookies released ahead of roster cutdown day in late August, but just like fellow cutdown victim Kobee Minor found his way back to New England. After going unclaimed through the waiver wire, he was re-signed as part of the Patriots’ initial practice squad.
Swinson remained on the developmental roster until mid-November, when the Patriots opted to move him up to their 53-man team in order to prevent other teams from poaching him. Taking the spot of defensive tacke Milton Williams, who was placed on temporary injured reserve, he saw his first game action a week later: playing 10 special teams snaps, he notched his first career tackle.
While he did remain on the Patriots’ active roster through the rest of the year, Swinson only saw action in three more contests: the team’s blowout wins over the Jets and Dolphins to close out the regular season, and the AFC Championship Game in Denver. He registered his first quarterback disruption along the way on one of his 26 defensive snaps versus New York.
Overall, Swinson had a quiet first year in the league and despite the Patriots’ defensive edge not standing out failed to crack the regular rotation.
2026 preview
Position: Outside linebacker/Pass rush specialist | Ability: Depth player/Role player | Contract: Signed through 2028 (2029 UFA)
What will be his role? Even though he was a three-down player during his final season at LSU, Swinson is playing a more specialized role in New England. He is primarily a pass rush specialist similar to former Patriots edge K’Lavon Chaisson, and as such will compete for a spot in the rotation alongside the likes of Harold Landry, Dre’Mont Jones, Elijah Ponder and Gabe Jacas. In addition, he once again will also factor into the special teams mix.
What is his growth potential? Despite being a fifth-round draft pick who was a virtual non-factor as a rookie, Swinson’s potential for growth is significant. While it remains to be seen whether or not he will ever become a starter-level player — that will very much depend on his play strength and edge-setting — he has the tools to at least develop into a productive situational pass rusher.
Does he have positional versatility? Swinson’s situational and positional flexibility at this point in time are somewhat limited, particularly on defense: he is an edge defender best suited to serve as a pass rusher. The kicking game is a different story after he was used on five units in preseason and four — kickoff return, kickoff coverage, punt coverage, field goal/extra point block — during his rookie regular season.
What is his salary cap situation? When the Patriots promoted him to their 53-man roster in November, they gave Swinson a four-year deal that comes with a $1.01 million cap hit in 2026. That number consists entirely of a non-guaranteed base salary, which is not high enough to qualify him for Top 51 status at the moment. He therefore is currently not counted against New England’s cap.
How safe is his roster spot? Swinson has some intriguing talent, but nonetheless is headed into his second NFL summer as a bubble player. In order to make the team, he will need to prove himself more valuable on defense and special teams than depth options elsewhere on the roster. That is especially true given that the aforementioned Harold Landry, Dre’Mont Jones, Elijah Ponder and Gabe Jacas are all safe bets to make the 53-man roster on the edge.
Summary: A well-built speed rusher off the edge, Swinson could be just what the Patriots’ pass defense needs — and what it was missing in 2025. From that perspective, he can be considered a player to watch this summer. However, until his potential and his production finally start to meet up, he remains a projection more than anything.
What do you think about Bradyn Swinson heading into the 2026 season? Will he have a breakout campaign? Or will his potential turn out to be just that? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.
