The New England Patriots are coming off a Super Bowl berth, but in order to get back to the big dance stasis was not an option this offseason. And so, changes were made — big, small, in between, through free agency and the draft. The question, of course, is whether or not said change left the team in a better state heading toward the 2026 NFL season.
We will revisit the question a bit later, but for now let’s assess what the turnover since February’s loss to the Seahawks looks like.
Quarterback
Current depth chart:
Drake Maye, Tommy DeVito, Behren Morton
Notable changes: Behren Morton (in), Joshua Dobbs (out)
The Patriots quarterback room is all about Drake Maye, but the MVP runner-up will not be surrounded by the same crew of backups in 2026. Joshua Dobbs, last year’s QB2 was let go in favor of Tommy DeVito, while Behren Morton was added in the seventh round of the draft. The change is, ideally, inconsequential for the team’s success in 2026, but the group nonetheless lost some experience by cutting Dobbs.
Running back
Current depth chart: Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson, Terrell Jennings, Lan Larison, Jam Miller, Myles Montgomery
Notable changes: Jam Miller (in), Myles Montgomery (in), Antonio Gibson (out)
Antonio Gibson was a non-participant in the Super Bowl after having torn his ACL in the regular season, and he will not be back this year. Including a healthy Gibson into the equation, one could view the 2026 crew as a downgrade from last season simply in terms of proven contributions. That said, the circumstances of his 2025 campaign cannot be ignored. And in that sense — through the additions of Jam Miller and Myles Montgomery — plus some expected development from sophomores TreVeyon Henderson and Lan Larison, you get a crew that looks more promising as a whole than the one that took the field in the Super Bowl.
Fullback
Current depth chart: Reggie Gilliam, Jack Westover, Brock Lampe
Notable changes: Reggie Gilliam (in)
Jack Westover did what he could in 2025, but the tight end-turned-fullback oftentimes found himself out of his natural element. That should not be a problem in 2026, with Reggie Gilliam being a tried and tested player at the position who should be able to bring more consistency. An upgrade in quantity and quality.
Wide receiver
Current depth chart: Romeo Doubs, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams, DeMario Douglas, Efton Chism III, Jeremiah Webb, Kyle Dixon, Nick DeGennaro, Jimmy Kibble, Cameron Dorner
Notable changes: Romeo Doubs (in), Stefon Diggs (out)
So far, the only major change at wide receiver was cutting Stefon Diggs — last year’s leading receiver — and effectively replacing him with free agency addition Romeo Doubs. Based on both players’ careers thus far, Doubs presents a downgrade; he has never reached Diggs’ statistical heights even from the 2025 season. However, if he manages to adapt to Josh McDaniels’ offense, he has a skillset that should mesh well with Drake Maye and might very well make him a Diggs-like WR1 for the Patriots in 2026. Of course, there is more change on the horizon: the A.J. Brown trade sending him from Philadelphia to New England is expected to be processed in June, and it would create a trickle-down effect on the entire receiver room.
Tight end
Current depth chart: Hunter Henry, Julian Hill, Eli Raridon, C.J. Dippre, Tanner Arkin
Notable changes: Eli Raridon (in), Julian Hill (in), Austin Hooper (out)
Even though he still had some good moments, Austin Hooper was on his last legs as a Patriot in 2025. To replace him, the team turned to both free agency and the draft. Julian Hill is a wildcard of sorts but New England views him as a possible upgrade as a blocking tight end. Third-round draft pick Eli Raridon, meanwhile, could be a long-term replacement for Hunter Henry due to his well-rounded if yet relatively unproven skillset.
Offensive tackle
Current depth chart: Will Campbell, Morgan Moses, Caleb Lomu, James Hudson III, Marcus Bryant, Sebastian Gutierrez, Lorenz Metz, Dametrious Crownover
Notable changes: Caleb Lomu (in), Dametrious Crownover (in), James Hudson III (in), Vederian Lowe (out), Thayer Munford Jr. (out)
Will Campbell and Morgan Moses are back as the projected starters, with first-round pick Caleb Lomu projecting as the third option behind them (as well as Moses’ future replacement) and sixth-rounder Dametrious Crownover spearheading the competition for the OT4 role. Even with Vederian Lowe’s experience gone, the group is looking better from top to bottom than it did at the end of 2025; Campbell being fully recovered from his MCL injury by itself should make a major difference compared to the Super Bowl, and Lomu as a sixth lineman has significantly higher upside than still-unsigned Thayer Munford Jr.
Interior offensive line
Current depth chart: Alijah Vera-Tucker, Jared Wilson, Mike Onwenu, Ben Brown, Caedan Wallace, Andrew Rupcich, Mehki Butler, Jacob Rizy, JonDarius Morgan
Notable changes: Alijah Vera-Tucker (in), Garrett Bradbury (out)
Garrett Bradbury was a stabilizing presence for the Patriots in 2025, but his upside was capped and so the team decided to trade its starting center to Chicago. In his place, Jared Wilson moves back into his natural spot at center, with free agency pickup Alijah Vera-Tucker slotting into the left guard spot mirroring Mike Onwenu. On paper, and judged purely by each players’ ceiling, this is a superior group than last year’s. However, there is considerable uncertainty regarding Vera-Tucker’s ability to stay healthy and Wilson’s development at center after what was at times a rough rookie season at left guard.
Interior defensive line
Current depth chart: Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, Cory Durden, Joshua Farmer, Leonard Taylor III, Eric Gregory, Jeremiah Pharms Jr, David Blay Jr.
Notable changes: Khyiris Tonga (out)
The Patriots are either high on their returning personnel or they simply missed out on a chance to bolster their interior D-line and fill Khyiris Tonga’s former role as the starting nose tackle. The veteran priced himself out of the team’s comfort zone in the playoffs, and there is no clear replacement in sight. Maybe Eric Gregory, who recently inherited his No. 95 jersey, is ready to step up after a quiet 2025 rookie campaign; maybe somebody else will. At this point in time, however, the group looks less settled as a whole than at the tail-end of last season — even though Christian Barmore and Milton Williams remain A-grade players atop the depth chart.
Defensive edge
Current depth chart: Harold Landry III, Dre’Mont Jones, Gabe Jacas, Elijah Ponder, Bradyn Swinson, Jesse Luketa, Quintayvious Hutchins, Xavier Holmes
Notable changes: Dre’Mont Jones (in), Gabe Jacas (in), Quintayvious Hutchins (in), K’Lavon Chaisson (out), Anfernee Jennings (out)
The Patriots wanted to add some speed to their edge rush this offseason, but they instead went with power in both free agency and the draft. Whether or not Dre’Mont Jones, Gabe Jacas and Quintayvious Hutchins can replace the likes of K’Lavon Chaisson and Anfernee Jennings — the former the team’s best edge rusher and the latter its best edge-setter in the run game in 2025 — remains to be seen. Two key factors to consider are Harold Landry’s health after he was effectively a non-factor in the playoffs, and Elijah Ponder and possible speed option Bradyn Swinson making the second-year jump. In theory, the present group has a more favorable outlook but projection and reality are not necessarily always aligned.
Linebacker
Current depth chart: Robert Spillane, Christian Elliss, K.J. Britt, Chad Muma, Otis Reese, Amari Gainer, Namdi Obiazor, Khalil Jacobs
Notable changes: K.J. Britt (in), Namdi Obiazor (in), Khalil Jacobs (in), Jack Gibbens (out), Jahlani Tavai (out), Marte Mapu (out)
The Patriots made some major changes at linebacker, with last year’s third-through-fifth options all no longer with the team. Jack Gibbens, Jahlani Tavai and Marte Mapu were not irreplaceable world beaters on defense or special teams, but they brought experience and a level of predictability. Out of the current group, K.J. Britt might be the only player to check both of those boxes in a roster-worthy capacity. And while rookies Namdi Obiazor and Khalil Jacobs have some intriguing elements to their game, neither is a proven commodity or even locked into a roster spot.
Cornerback
Current depth chart: Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis III, Marcus Jones, Charles Woods, Kindle Vildor, Kobee Minor, Marcellas Dial Jr, Brandon Crossley, Karon Prunty, Channing Canada, Kenneth Harris
Notable changes: Kindle Vildor (in), Karon Prunty (in), Alex Austin (out)
It is perhaps unfair to compare an in-season to an offseason roster from a pure quantity perspective alone, but not every player projects to be equally relevant for that purpose. At cornerback, despite having eight possible backups under contract right now, the big question from 2025 to 2026 is whether or not recent additions Kindle Vildor and Karon Prunty can prove themselves upgrades over still-retained Charles Woods and free agency departee Alex Austin. The bar is not extraordinarily high, while last year’s group also benefitted from Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis and Marcus Jones all being reasonably durable.
Safety
Current depth chart: Kevin Byard, Craig Woodson, Dell Pettus, Brenden Schooler, John Saunders Jr, Mike Brown, Peter Manuma
Notable changes: Kevin Byard (in), Jaylinn Hawkins (out)
The big change at safety is Kevin Byard effectively replacing Jaylinn Hawkins as the starting free safety alongside returning starter Craig Woodson. Byard was the NFL’s best ballhawk in 2025 and a first-team All-Pro, and through his career has had higher heights than Hawkins. Age is a question — Byard will turn 33 in August — and the group’s long-term outlook at the position is therefore unclear as well, but in a simple head-to-head comparison the 2026 group looks slightly better.
Special teams
Current depth chart: Andy Borregales, Bryce Baringer, Julian Ashby, Niko Lalos
Notable changes: Niko Lalos (in)
The Patriots have added a second long snapper to the mix, and he might push sophomore Julian Ashby. However, Ashby also had a solid rookie season so any upgrade would be marginal at best. All in all, not much to report one way or the other.
Looking across the roster, there are some clear areas of improvement and some obvious question marks. The offensive line as a whole looks better and deeper, while tight end and running back also are trending up. The defensive line and especially linebacker, on the other hand, are unclear projections with 2026 on the horizon; the same is true at wide receiver, even though that spot seemingly remains a work in progress that might need to get evaluated in a month.
Overall, the Patriots have added some key pieces at positions of need so far this offseason. Only three draft choices in the first four rounds plus some veteran free agency departures, meanwhile, created an aura of uncertainty. The ceiling is evident, which arguably makes the roster overall a better one compared to 2025. However, players hitting those highs is not guaranteed either and could create some worrisome vulnerabilities.
So, what do you think? Has the Patriots roster improved since the Super Bowl? Please participate in our poll and share your opinions in the comment section below.
