5 Schematic Changes We Could See From the New England Patriots Offense in 2026

This one’s for the nerds.

After completing a 21-game season that included a run to Super Bowl LX, the New England Patriots put together a large body of work in year one of the Mike Vrabel era. As the season progressed, opposing teams made natural adjustments to counter the successes and tendencies that re-positioned New England among the NFL’s elite in short order.

With an offseason to review what worked — and what didn’t — the Patriots returned to the drawing board and added pieces on both sides of the ball that are vital in improving key areas of weakness, but moreover, will add new strengths — new layers — to the team’s approach on both sides of the ball.

Over the next two days, we’ll be reviewing how New England’s personnel changes this spring may foreshadow their evolution as a contender this fall. That begins today with a closer examination of the Patriots’ offense — led by offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and signal-caller Drake Maye.

Here are five schematic alterations we could see from New England’s offense in 2026.

The Patriots’ offense majored in using a multitude of personnel packages to exploit mismatches in 2025, and the McDaniels scheme will have more than enough mouths to feed to employ a similar strategy in 2026.

With an EPA (expected points added) per play of 0.13 that ranked first in the NFL, New England laid claim to one of the most efficient offenses in the NFL. The Patriots' base offense heavily featured 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end, and three receivers) on 48.95% of snaps during the regular season last year, per Sumer Sports. Their usage rate of that personnel grouping ranked just 24th league-wide, however, while their EPA of 108.33 on such plays was the top mark in the league. With three receiver packages that include A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, and some combination of Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams, or DeMario Douglas, McDaniels could be tempted to run even more 11 personnel packages onto the field — but that’s not how this team will choose to stay on schedule.

New England went with 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends, and two receivers) on 19.35% of plays last season (19th highest rate in the NFL), and ranked sixth in EPA at 20.89. Initially, more 12 personnel seemed to be in the cards for the Patriots this offseason with the addition of Julian Hill, but his stint on season-ending injured reserve may alter that plan. When that grouping is on the field, rookie tight end Eli Raridon will likely be called upon as a running mate for the reliable Hunter Henry.

While not commonplace around the league in 2025, New England employed 21 personnel (two running backs, one tight end, and two receivers) on 15.33% of offensive snaps — the fourth highest rate in the NFL and far surpassing the league average of 6.23%. In this grouping, the Patriots frequently used both Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson to flank Maye in the backfield, with each back also showing the versatility to align out-wide. Jack Westover also got into the mix at fullback in 21 personnel — a spot that is now significantly upgraded with the signing of Reggie Gilliam. Whether it be both running backs on the field, or one back with Gilliam as a lead blocker through the hole, New England’s early-down base offense will likely be played out of more 21 personnel in 2026 — and their upgrades along the offensive front show signs for hope of improving their 11th-ranked EPA (1.61) in that area last fall.

In each personnel package, the Patriots will have a variety of playmakers to cycle through — and each presents a different challenge for opposing defenses. As per usual with McDaniels’ system, he’ll be able to use the team’s depth to his advantage, developing gameplans to feature different players on a weekly basis. New England’s multiplicity in approach creates mismatches that they now have the personnel to exploit.

Everything the Patriots want to accomplish offensively begins with stability up front, and New England’s continued reshuffling of the offensive line this offseason points toward a concerted effort to improve in that area.

After surrendering an NFL record 21 sacks during the playoffs and ranking 20th in the league in EPA per rush (-0.03) in 2025, the Patriots used the spring months to continue a front line rebuild that began with the additions of Morgan Moses (right tackle), Will Campbell (left tackle), and Jared Wilson (left guard) last offseason. Starting center Garrett Bradbury was traded to the Chicago Bears, and Alijah Vera-Tucker was signed to take over at left guard. Wilson is moving back to his collegiate position to fill in at center, with Mike Onwenu returning at right guard.

Vera-Tucker was New England’s first big swing offensively in March, and the team doubled-down in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft by trading up to pick No. 28 to select Utah offensive tackle Caleb Lomu. As a rookie, Lomu is expected to serve as the Patriots’ swing tackle and provide depth along the interior of the line.

With a left side featuring starters Campbell, Vera-Tucker, and Wilson, New England has assembled one of the more impressively athletic groups around the league. As prospects, each registered at least a 9.79 Relative Athletic Score (RAS) out of a possible 10.00 — grading out within the top 25 since 1987 at their respective positions. Their agility will be highlighted on plays that require them to move in space; screen passes, power runs with pulling linemen, and outside zone runs will likely skew towards this side of the line to accentuate the strengths in those players’ games.

Steady and consistent on the right side with Onwenu and Moses, the Patriots will be able to vary where they bring help with a tight end on the line of scrimmage, a fullback in the backfield, or Lomu as an additional lineman. The prospect of Lomu is interesting here, too, as he registered an RAS of 9.89 out of 10.00, ranking 19th of 1,645 offensive tackle prospects from 1987 to 2026.

Moving forward, it appears that New England’s “type” for offensive line talent will include a preference for athleticism — breaking from the long-standing Belichick mold and signaling a shift toward a schematic approach that highlights their linemen moving in space. With a speedster like Henderson aligned behind them, that could lead to even more explosive plays in 2026 and beyond.

A large component in maintaining the high level of efficiency the Patriots displayed in 2025 will be establishing a more consistent running game. Maneuvering pieces along the offensive line, adding Gilliam into the backfield, and having a chess piece in Lomu to work into the gameplan will all help that cause, but the results will need to be better.

New England was the beneficiary of one of the more explosive offensive rushing attacks last year with 2,191 rushing yards (sixth in the NFL) and 4.4 yards per carry (14th in the NFL), but lacked down-to-down efficiency. That showed especially in short-yardage and goal-line runs, where the team ranked just 25th in success rate. The Patriots found more success on breakaway runs of 15-plus yards, which accounted for 39.6% of Henderson’s rushing total for the year and ranked third in the league.

There’s hope that the additions made to the front could lead to even more daylight for the home-run hitter in 2026 — and it might — but more often than not, the goal will be to earn enough yardage to stay ahead of the sticks (2nd and 5, 3rd and 2, etc.). In that sense, Stevenson will still be paramount for New England’s early-down offensive success. Recording his best yards-per-rush average (4.6) since 2022, he ranked 40th in the NFL with an average of 1.9 yards before contact, but third in the league with 2.8 yards after contact.

Stevenson will be the go-to option to keep the offense ahead of schedule, with Henderson adding a change-of-pace that could bust open the game at any point. Both have also shown the ability to be reliable receivers out of the backfield, and can — and will — be used in a variety of different personnel packages to create defensive mismatches.

The Patriots’ passing game may get all the headlines, but the running game will be the engine that drives the offense forward in 2026. Everything else will be a branch off of their successes or failures to improve in that area.

Finding more consistency on the ground and running more plays with pulling linemen or outside zone as window dressing will open the door for more success running play-action passes this fall. Widely assumed to be a strength for New England based on their personnel, play-action wasn’t a prominently featured wrinkle of the offense last year.

In 2025, Drake Maye ranked just 22nd in the NFL with a 25.0% play-action dropback percentage (minimum 100 total dropbacks, per PFF). On those plays, Maye was deadly efficient — completing 92 of his 123 passing attempts (74.8% completion percentage), with 1,214 yards (9.9 yards per attempt), 10 touchdown passes and no interceptions.

More success running the ball will lead to more opportunities for the Patriots to exploit with play-action shots, and their new personnel out-wide fit that plan perfectly. Brown (6’1”, 226 lbs.), Doubs (6’2”, 204 lbs.), and Hollins (6’4”, 221 lbs.) each win with physicality: winning at the catch point with strong hands and a wide catch radius, and firing off the ball as an imposing presence when blocking downfield. Those body types will serve the offense well in both areas, while opening space for Hunter Henry to leak out into the middle of the field.

Maye now has a stable of receivers that align well with his affinity for pushing the ball deep (his 8.9 yards per attempt led the NFL in 2025). Likewise, the upgrades provide McDaniels with a rotation that doesn’t give defenses pre-snap indications of the offensive playcalls. In 11, 12, or 21 personnel, New England will be able to threaten defenses with the pass and run, and a healthier dose of play-action will help disguise tendencies in each — keeping the Patriots multiple in grouping and approach.

When New England does air it out, their passing attack will be highlighted by a more experienced Maye and a vastly upgraded arsenal of weapons surrounding him.

In 2025, Maye finished as the NFL’s MVP runner-up after completing 354-of-492 passing attempts (72.0% completion percentage), 4,394 passing yards (8.9 yards per attempt), 31 passing touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a passer rating of 113.5. He added 450 yards and four touchdowns rushing, and led the league in completion percentage, yards per attempt, and passer rating, among others.

Including the postseason, Maye gained 5,850 total yards of offense for the Patriots (5,222 yards passing and 628 yards rushing) and scored 42 total touchdowns. He accounted for 73.6% of New England’s 7,949 total yards gained last year — a number that may come down with more help in 2026.

To follow up a run that led the Patriots all the way to Super Bowl LX, the team added two new receivers to the top of the rotation with Brown and Doubs — both of whom have the size and physicality to win at the catch point downfield. Maye’s connection with Brown will be monitored, as it projects to be one of the most dynamic duos in the league this fall.

Through Brown’s seven years in the NFL, he’s dominated at the X receiver position, totaling 524 receptions on 816 targets with 8,029 receiving yards (15.3 yards per catch), 56 touchdowns, and 383 first downs. He was named Second-Team AP All-Pro three times (2022-24), and selected to the NFL’s Top 100 five times: 2021 (No. 62), 2023 (No. 22), 2024 (No. 21), 2025 (No. 29), and 2026 (No. 80).

Brown has recorded 1,000-plus receiving yards in six of his first seven seasons, and currently holds a streak of four consecutive years heading into 2026 — one that will likely continue. His imposing presence as one of the league’s elite downfield receivers pairs perfectly with Maye’s success targeting deep shots, and the two already appear to be building early chemistry through the summer.

With the secondary constantly fixed in on Brown, opportunities will open with one-on-one matchups elsewhere. That’s where the impact of the high-end WR1 may be felt the most — improving the quality of looks for the others and allowing Maye to dissect the deficiencies in each coverage.

Maye’s command of the offense pre-snap will also be worth monitoring. He enters 2026 with cohesion at offensive coordinator for the first time since high school, and has already been showing strides in his confidence running the system early in year two — noting a “night and day” difference from this time last year. During Organized Team Activities (OTAs), Maye ran no-huddle drills without receiving playcalls from the sideline. Rather, he called out the play at the line of scrimmage after reading the defense — and seemingly aced the test.

If Maye shows that level of control over the offense in 2026, McDaniels will have all the latitude necessary to install a wide variety of looks each week — and fully unlock one of the NFL’s most dangerous units.

The New England offense will use their success in 2025 as a foundation to build off of for 2026. As they get set to return to the field, their personnel changes will help solidify the new identity that will shape their performance during this fall’s campaign.

With reinforcements up front, a stable rotation of ballcarriers, and elite playmakers on the outside, the onus will not fall solely on Maye’s production to lift and carry the offense this year. Rather, multiplicity — from personnel groupings to playcalling tendencies — will see the Patriots’ offense attack opposing defenses in a variety of different ways. That’s when a scheme like McDaniels’ can truly be “gameplan specific,” and run with the greatest efficiency.

New England’s offense will be one of the league’s elite in 2026. Next, we'll flip sides and take a closer look at the defense.

What do you want to see more of from the Patriots’ offense this fall? Drop your thoughts in the comments below and join the conversation on Patriots Roundtable.

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