We are in the midst of the NFL offseason, with little going on around the league as a whole and the New England Patriots specifically at the moment. Naturally, this week’s version of our Sunday Patriots Notes is therefore a shortened one.
Nonetheless, there are still a few things to talk about. So, let’s dive straight in.
Second-year jump candidates
The Patriots may not be singing the “draft and develop” tune quite as loudly as they did early during Eliot Wolf’s tenure as quasi-general manager, but they have still brought in a significant
number of young players over the last few seasons. Among them are 21 entering their second seasons in the league — players naturally in position to make the famous sophomore jump.
Let’s take a closer look at them to find out who should be expected to show some significant improvement heading into 2026.
RB TreVeyon Henderson: The Patriots’ second-round pick a year ago, Henderson led the team in every major rushing statistic as a rookie. However, on the year as a whole he still played second fiddle to starter Rhamondre Stevenson. That is not necessarily expected to change too much this fall, but the youngster should still take on a more active role in the rotation. Improved vision and blocking should help him do so and become even more of a big play threat than he already was in 2025.
RB Lan Larison: After missing all of last season due to a leg injury, Larison will be competing for the No. 3 running back spot behind Stevenson and Henderson this summer. Based on spring practices, the versatile change-of-pace back can be seen as a frontrunner for that role.
FB Brock Lampe: Lampe, like Larison, had to spend all of 2025 on injured reserve. However, his path to a roster spot is blocked by veteran free agency pickup Reggie Gilliam. Pending incident of accident, Gilliam will be the Patriots’ fullback, leaving Lampe to aim for the practice squad.
WR Kyle Williams: Williams ran hot and cold during his rookie season but despite some promising plays had a limited overall impact. With the Patriots having revamped their receiving corps through the additions of A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs, he will face increased competition for playing time. That said, better depth especially at the X-receiver spot might allow the team to use him in a fashion better suited for his skillset.
WR Efton Chism III: Chism was a non-factor for much of 2025, but did spend all year on the 53-man roster nonetheless. He will get another prime opportunity to earn a spot on the team, and we believe he will ultimately be successful. Whether that means a more active role on offense or in the return game remains to be seen, but with Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte all in a contract year, the Patriots might be playing the long game.
WR Jeremiah Webb: Webb spent all of 2025 on the practice squad. Unless the former UDFA can show a massive jump during the summer, and the spring does not suggest that will be the case, this looks like a best-case scenario again for him.
TE C.J. Dippre: The Patriots’ tight end depth took a hit when Julian Hill suffered a season-ending knee injury during OTAs, leaving the door wide open for others to earn the TE2 role behind Hunter Henry. Dippre has some talent and will get a chance to prove himself, but it would not be a surprise if the team went in a different direction.
OT Will Campbell: Of all the Patriots second-year candidates, Campbell might be under the most pressure. The fourth overall selection in last year’s draft started all 17 of the games he was available for and had some promising stretches of play before a knee injury derailed his season and left him struggling in the playoffs. Now fully healthy and with a year of experience under his belt, he is in a prime position to take a step forward and help solidify the left side of New England’s offensive line.
OT Marcus Bryant: Bryant will be competing for a backup spot behind Campbell, Morgan Moses and Caleb Lomu. The team did give him plenty of quality reps in the spring, but he will need to show some development in order to beat out rookie Dametrious Crownover for the fourth and potentially final tackle spot on the roster.
OL Jared Wilson: After spending 2025 at left guard and having his fair share of struggles, the Patriots decided to move the former third-round pick back into his natural spot at center. Wilson will be the team’s top option at the position, and there is optimism he can show improvement there relative to his work at guard as a rookie. Frankly, the O-line depends on it.
OL Mehki Butler: Butler was little more than an emergency practice squad option in 2025, and he seemingly finds himself closer to the bottom than the top of the depth chart again in 2026. His outlook might change once the pads come on, but expecting a big jump might be expecting too much.
DT Joshua Farmer: Coming off an up-and-down first year in the league, Farmer will likely resume the rotational interior D-line role he held as a rookie. Khyiris Tonga’s departure might allow him to increase his snaps, but at the moment he projects as DT4 behind Milton Williams, Christian Barmore and Cory Durden.
DT Eric Gregory: Gregory has the body type best suited to replace Tonga in the lineup, and the Patriots will give him a chance to make the team. His impact as a post-cutdown addition was negligible in 2025, but the path for a bigger role is certainly open.
ED Elijah Ponder: On paper, the Patriots adding Dre’Mont Jones and Gabe Jacas in the offseason pushes Ponder down the depth chart. However, last year’s third edge could very well fill the same role again after Jacas was unavailable throughout the spring. And if the coaching staff is to be believed, he is certainly trending up and capable of making a more pronounced impact.
ED Bradyn Swinson: Arguably the biggest dark horse on the edge, Swinson split his rookie campaign between the practice squad and 53-man roster. A natural pass rush talent, he should benefit from more time in an NFL weight room and very well could push for a roster spot again this summer as a situational player.
CB Kobee Minor: The final pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, Minor had some encouraging moments in the spring. He will need to keep building on those in order to make the roster, but seemingly is carrying some momentum into training camp. With the CB4 slot currently unoccupied, he might make a run at it.
CB Brandon Crossley: The Patriots are set atop their cornerback depth chart but they have various open spots further down. Crossley did have some moments in the spring and will get a chance to fight for one of those spots, but he still appears to be facing an uphill battle.
S Craig Woodson: Woodson was one of the biggest positive surprises from a Patriots perspective in 2025. With Kevin Byard now in the mix to provide veteran expertise and playmaking ability next to him, the fourth-rounder should be able to keep making strides. The foundation already is a strong one, and there is little to suggest he won’t be able to keep building.
S John Saunders Jr: Saunders Jr. joined the Patriots during the year and will benefit from a full offseason in the program. However, he still is in a challenging situation as far as making the roster is concerned; the current structure of the depth chart only leaves so many spaces available.
K Andy Borregales: Borregales showed that he can be an NFL-caliber kicker, and should only be getting better in Year 2. And if so, the Patriots will see concrete results in the form of more drives ending in points. His leg already is strong enough to split the uprights from 50-plus yards out, now it’s about increasing his consistency in the 30s and 40s as well as on kickoffs.
LS Julian Ashby: Ashby had a quiet season in 2025, which is exactly what you want from a rookie long snapper. As long as he remains a relatively anonymous piece of the roster, he and the team are fine.
Obviously, while those are the only true second-year players on the roster, the famous Year 2 jump applies to others as well. Take quarterback Drake Maye, for example, who will be in his second season under head coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels; he should be able to show strides even though he is technically now in his third year in the NFL already.
Will Campbell’s training partners
The aforementioned Will Campbell has found some veteran help preparing for his second year in the league. He spent some time in Oklahoma recently training with some of the best O-linemen the NFL currently has to offer. Among them were Lane Johnson, Tristan Wirfs, Dion Dawkins and Creed Humphrey — four players who have 11 All-Pro seasons and 20 Pro Bowls between them.
Needless to say that Campbell still has ways to go before reaching those levels. However, learning from some of the best blockers football has to offer is never a wrong thing.
Scotland game in the works?
Even though Scotland’s journey to the FIFA World Cup ended in the group stage, the “Tartan Army” in Boston is one of the defining images of the tournament so far. Among those impressed by their presence in the city was Patriots owner Robert Kraft, so much so that he reportedly asked the NFL that his team would be interested to play in Scotland at one point in the future.
The NFL will be playing nine international games in 2026, and the goal is to have every team play at least one contest abroad per season further down the line. Scotland is not on the imminent list of target areas for the league, especially with London having been a regular host city for years.
However, in the league’s quest to expand the international scope of the game, nothing can be ruled out either — at least further down the line.
Former All-decade Patriot dead at 78
Former NFL linebacker Steve Zabel, who spent four seasons in New England from 1975 to 1978 has passed away.
The former Eagles first-round draft choice played 49 regular season games and a pair of playoff contests for the team, registering 11 total sacks and eight fumble recoveries. He also was voted to the club’s Team of the 1970s. The Minnesota native, who also played for the Colts to close out his career, spent 10 total seasons in the league and saw action in 126 games.
He was 78 years old.
Week ahead
Football-wise there is little going on at the moment. However, we will be keeping an eye on Patriots seventh-round rookie Quintayvious Hutchins this week. The edge defender will have a pre-trial meeting Monday, June 29, after he was charged with misdemeanor domestic assault and battery on a family/household member back in May.
