“Opportunity” was a common word used as New England Patriots defensive tackle Cory Durden fielded questions from the media following the team’s OTAs practice on Tuesday.
Durden, 27, has a chance to take on a larger role along the defensive front in 2026 after former Patriots nose tackle Khyiris Tonga left in free agency to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs. His projected replacement sees the vacated spot as an opportunity to take another step in his career, saying, “The sky is the limit.”
“Last year,
I learned I’m a good pro,” Durden continued. “I have the ability to be a dominant pro in this league, and I learned that about myself. I don’t want to say I surprised myself, but I did … We played 21 football games last year, so that’s the most games I’ve played in my life, and I showed up in every game.”
The 6-foot-4, 305-pound nose tackle entered the NFL, signing with the Detroit Lions in 2023 as an undrafted free agent, before winding up on the Los Angeles Rams’ practice squad that same year. Before the 2025 season, Durden had only appeared in eight games between two seasons with the Rams and the New York Giants the following year.
With New England, Durden had a career year, posting 30 tackles with five for a loss and 16 quarterback hurries, earning himself an 81.4 pass-rush grade on Pro Football Focus. He also contributed in all four of the Patriots’ playoff games last season, logging two quarterback hits.
Durden said last season gave him “all the confidence in the world,” adding that he can make the most of his opportunities in 2026 by continuing what he’s already done and not placing too many expectations on himself. He explained that he just wants to do his job and be a good teammate.
“[The team] kind of rode with me; that told me a lot,” Durden said. “My confidence is probably the highest it’s been since I’ve been in the league.
Seemingly, the New England coaching staff is entrusting the interior depth options from last season, like Durden, with more on-field responsibilities next season.
“I think he proved that,” New England’s head coach Mike Vrabel said last week of Durden stepping up. “Leonard Taylor [III] worked with us. Eric Gregory worked with us … Joshua Farmer is back healthy. But Cory, I think, probably coming out of last year, would be that on paper. Again, there’ll be competition in training camp. But I think that’s a good group.”
Outside of Durden’s contributions, Taylor has performed well in the two OTA practices open to the media. The third-year defensive tackle batted down two passes at the line of scrimmage on Tuesday and has brought consistent pressure into backup quarterback Tommy DeVito’s backfield.
“[Our chemistry] is extremely important,” Durden said of the group. “I feel like we were the best position group on the team last year, the [defensive] tackles. So, I feel like that’s the expectation this year. We’re going into this year feeling like we’re going to be the best position on the team … I feel like we’re going to be one of the best [defensive] tackle rooms in the NFL this year.”
The Patriots didn’t select a defensive tackle in the draft, and Durden believes the decision not to add to the position in April shows how much confidence the organization has in its current group.
In the meantime, New England’s defensive line will continue practicing this week in preparation for mandatory minicamp next week from June 9 to 11.
