The New England Patriots made no secret out of their desire to improve their defensive edge play in 2026, and they acted accordingly this offseason. The Super Bowl runner-ups signed veteran Dre’Mont Jones to a three-year, $36.5 million deal in free agency and also decided to move on from K’Lavon Chaisson and Anfernee Jennings.
While Jones and veteran Harold Landry have the potential to become a formidable starting duo, the Patriots are still looking to add to its current group at the position. And
as executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf pointed out, there is one ingredient in particular still missing from the mix.
“We could complement our room with some speed. I think that’s evident,” Wolf told reporters at a pre-draft press conference at Gillette Stadium on Monday.
“Dre’Mont and Harold and Elijah [Ponder], and some of the other guys that we have, they all have their skillsets. We would like to get faster. Dre’Mont’s a guy that can play across the line, run games. He can sneaky beat you with speed but that’s probably not his bread and butter.”
Coming out of free agency, the Patriots’ depth chart is five players deep on the edge. Landry and Jones sit atop it, with sophomores Elijah Ponder and Bradyn Swinson as well as another free agency pickup, Jesse Luketa, rounding out the group.
Heading toward the draft, the team’s intentions are clear. As Wolf himself said, the group needs to be strengthened further.
“That’s an area that we’re looking to improve the depth on the roster,” he noted.
The Patriots have cast a wide net at the position so far in the process. They have had confirmed contact with 20 prospects, including five who came to Gillette Stadium on so-called 30 visits: Keyron Crawford (Auburn), whose visit took place on Monday, as well as George Gumbs Jr. (Florida), Romello Height (Texas A&M), R Mason Thomas (Oklahoma) and Zion Young (Missouri).
Whether one of them will end up as a Patriot remains to be seen, but they do fit the profile the club is looking for.
