NFL free agency is not officially over yet, but the league has seen the major moves being made and teams moving on to the draft. The New England Patriots are no exception, even though five of their players still remain unaccounted for.
What will happen with them? Let’s make some predictions based on the information available.
Patriots remaining 2026 free agents
RB Deneric Prince (ERFA): Prince spent only 48 hours on the Patriots’ active roster last August, and was waived with an injury designation without ever taking the practice field.
He reverted to injured reserve and spent the entire season there, but the team seems willing to move on. | Profile
OT Thayer Munford Jr. (UFA): By far the most realistic candidate to be re-signed on this list, the Patriots are not categorically opposed to bringing Munford Jr. back into the fold as extra depth up front. However, with the 26-year-old currently recovering from an offseason procedure on his knee, such a move would if at all only happen further down the line. The 26-year-old appeared in nine games with three starts for the team last season, serving primarily as a sixth offensive lineman. If he is not retained, conventional wisdom suggests that either 2025 seventh-round draft choice Marcus Bryant or a player to be selected this year will take on the OT3 role. | Profile
OT Yasir Durant (RFA): Considering Munford Jr’s uncertain future and offensive tackle depth currently down to the aforementioned Marcus Bryant as well as Sebastian Gutierrez and international player Lorenz Metz, the Patriots could be interested in giving Durant another look. Not tendering him as a restricted free agent always was the correct decision given his lack of track record and that he spent all of 2025 on IR, but his experience in the system and the positional circumstances might put him on speed dial should his medicals check out and the team fail to add proper depth in the draft. | Profile
DT Jaquelin Roy (RFA): Khyiris Tonga is now with the Chiefs, and no external replacement has been added to the interior defensive line. That could still happen, either through free agency or the draft, but Roy also remains a theoretical option worth looking at. That said, New England does not appear to be in any sort of rush to bring him back into the fold to provide depth behind starters Christian Barmore and Milton Williams. | Profile
DT Isaiah Iton (ERFA): The Patriots could have retained Iton on a non-guaranteed one-year contract worth $885,000, but they decided not to. They could still change their mind and add him back to the mix at a later point, but at the moment it seems the club is happy to be moving in a different direction. | Profile
In addition to those five players, fullback/tight end Jack Westover’s status officially remains TBD as well. An exclusive rights free agent, he was tendered by the team but has yet to sign the sheet. The expectation is that doing so will happen in due time.
