5 Remaining Positions of Need for the New England Patriots in 2026

The New England Patriots spent the spring months upgrading the roster at key positions of need with activity in free agency and aggressive trades during and since the NFL Draft.

Most of those groups project to have a much higher upside in 2026 as New England gears up for another playoff push. And yet, even after welcoming 45 new additions onto the preliminary 90-man roster, the Patriots are far from finalizing a 53-man squad to begin the regular season with.

While March and April are spent projecting, practices in May and June bring some sense of reality to each position room — or as much as you can get without pads on. With weeks to prepare for training camp, New England’s front office has the opportunity to review the changes they’ve made in recent months, evaluate the current state of the roster, and add talent at remaining areas of need.

Here are five positions of need that the New England Patriots may look to address before training camp kicks off in late July:

Currently Rostered (6): Tanner Arkin (Rookie), C.J. Dippre, Hunter Henry, Julian Hill (IR), Eli Raridon (Rookie), Jack Westover

New England made several roster moves to reinvent the tight end room behind Hunter Henry this offseason, but the dynamic of the 2026 group changed drastically during Organized Team Activities (OTAs).

Free agent acquisition Julian Hill — who was set to take over for Austin Hooper as in-line blocking tight end to pair with Henry — suffered a season-ending injury and was placed on injured reserve. Now, the Patriots search for immediate contributions, and will turn to young players to fill the void unless outside help is brought into the building.

Third round pick Eli Raridon is seemingly next in the pecking order for the team, but was outpaced with the first team offense by Jack Westover during mandatory minicamp. C.J. Dippre and Tanner Arkin will battle for the third tight end role behind those two. Raridon may be more of a pass-catcher early in his tenure and Westover lacks the size of the others, but Arkin and Dippre have both the size and physicality needed to play with an edge in the rushing attack.

Each of the four are first or second-year players, so New England could look for an experienced tight end that can provide momentary relief and replace the production lost by Hill. Still, with the number of investments made in that room over the last two years, it wouldn’t be surprising to see those who are already rostered be granted the opportunity to compete for a more significant role.

Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel commented on the potential to add a tight end at his minicamp media availability, stating: “Just from a numbers standpoint at camp, I think that is somewhere where we will probably have to evaluate the numbers. I mean, there are 90, 91 guys on every team, so we will just have to take a look at that. But I would say that is probably somewhere where we would have to address.”

Tight end continues to be one of the more intricate developmental paths around the league, and there’s an argument to be made that those younger talents would benefit from some time to sit and learn before being relied upon on Sundays.

If that’s the case and New England does turn to the free agent market, they’d likely be looking for a veteran who can replicate Hill’s projection as a plus-blocker in the run game. Here are a few options they could identify as fits:

Notable Free Agents

Pharaoh Brown, Will Dissly, John FitzPatrick, Marcedes Lewis

Currently Rostered (8): Xavier Holmes (Rookie), Gabe Jacas (Rookie), Dre’Mont Jones, Harold Landry III, Jesse Luketa, Elijah Ponder, Bradyn Swinson, Quintayvious Hutchins (Rookie)

Edge rusher was the position group that the Patriots had the most uncertainty at heading into the 2026 offseason, and on the heels of July, it continues to pose questions for the year ahead.

New England subtracted K’Lavon Chaisson, Anfernee Jennings, and Jahlani Tavai this spring, signing Dre’Mont Jones and Jesse Luketa as replacements in free agency and doubling down in the NFL Draft with Gabe Jacas in the second round and Quintayvious Hutchins in the seventh. Xavier Holmes was signed as an Undrafted Rookie Free Agent (UDFA) after a rookie minicamp tryout, and joins the ranks with second-year contributors Elijah Ponder and Bradyn Swinson.

Ponder and Swinson have both been the recipients of praise from the coaching staff through offseason practices, and will need to continue along that path if the situation around them remains in flux. Their roles are currently set to take a major leap forward this fall.

The room is led by veteran Harold Landry III, who has missed all of the offseason program while rehabbing from a knee injury that impacted him for the greater portion of 2025. Also not present for spring workouts was Jacas, who is recovering from a procedure and is the only unsigned second round pick in the NFL.

Without Landry or Jacas on the field, it has been Jones and Ponder taking the majority of first-team reps in team practices — and Vrabel has been impressed with what he’s seen. During minicamp, the Patriots’ head coach was asked about an addition at edge rusher, and he refuted:

“No, that's a good group. I'm excited about adding Dre'[Mont Jones], the development of [Elijah] Ponder and [Bradyn] Swinson. We added [Jesse] Luketa and some young guys. Again, we'll continue to try to look at every position and make it stronger, but that group has done a nice job. Again, we'll continue to look at it, but we'll have to see where we are at numbers-wise, and when we get into training camp just how many guys you can rep, based on the practices.”

Even with confidence in the continued growth of their younger players, edge rusher is a thin room that has been made even thinner in the early summer. If June provided a forecast for the future state of New England’s edge group during the regular season, it would become an immediate need for another rotational piece.

That’s where the Patriots stood at the beginning of the offseason, and after a series of moves to get more production out of the group, that’s also where they stand now: in limbo. Adding one more known commodity to the room would help alleviate some concerns surrounding the health of the group and Jacas’ missed time — a short-term boost to secure the long-term plan.

New England would have several options to turn to in the free agent market if they did decide to add another player to rotate in along the edge.

Notable Free Agents

Joey Bosa, Jadeveon Clowney, Von Miller, Haason Reddick, Kyle Van Noy

Currently Rostered (9): Ben Brown, Mekhi Butler, JonDarius Morgan (Rookie), Mike Onwenu, Jacob Rizy (Rookie), Andrew Rupcich, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Caeden Wallace, Jared Wilson

The Patriots entered the 2026 offseason with a plan to continue fortifying the offensive line, and did so with several moving pieces — cementing a new identity in the trenches that was two years in the making.

Starting center Garrett Bradbury was sent to the Chicago Bears in a trade that yielded New England a 2027 fifth round pick (presumably traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in the A.J. Brown deal), and Jared Wilson moved back to his collegiate position — over from left guard — to replace him. Alijah Vera-Tucker signed as a big ticket free agent that will man the spot between Wilson and Will Campbell on the left side of the line. To top things off, the Patriots traded up in the first round to draft offensive tackle Caleb Lomu — who projects to fill in as a swing tackle before serving as the eventual replacement for Morgan Moses on the right side.

With those transactions, New England secured their presumptive starting five for the 2026 regular season and created a developmental pipeline for the future. The Patriots transformed the front line through calculated maneuvers the last two offseasons: in 2025, Moses signed as a free agent and Campbell (fourth overall) and Wilson (95th overall) were both added via the NFL Draft; in 2026, Vera-Tucker and Lomu joined to round out the top of the room.

The lone lingering concerns about the group surround their depth along the interior, and injury histories of the starters ahead of them.

Vera-Tucker and Wilson both have a history of missing time, and Ben Brown is the only substitute that reasonably projects to make the final 53-man roster to play in relief of either. In an attempt to fill the void, Andrew Rupcich was heavily featured during OTAs, with little contributions from Mekhi Butler, Caeden Wallace, and UDFAs JonDarius Morgan and Jacob Rizy. During minicamp, Lomu rotated in at left and right guard when the group was rearranged.

An encouraging sign for the athletic versatility that the rookie can bring, but cross-training Lomu at four different positions to make the room work in the short-term may not have been “plan A.” It may be the current plan, however, based on their personnel. New England was reportedly interested in drafting a guard, but prioritized other needs when they were on the clock in April.

With a limited number of backup offensive linemen in the running for a spot on the final 53-man roster, the Patriots may look for a veteran who could step in during a “break glass in case of emergency” scenario while those lesser-heralded prospects develop on the practice squad.

Notable Free Agents

Mekhi Becton, Alex Cappa, Brady Christensen, James Daniels, Kevin Zeitler

Currently Rostered: K.J. Britt, Christian Elliss, Amari Gainer, Khalil Jacobs (Rookie), Chad Muma, Namdi Obiazor (Rookie), Otis Reese IV, Robert Spillane

The starters in New England’s linebacker group — Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss — held firm this offseason, but the room behind them looks much different than it did at this time last year.

Marte Mapu was traded to the Houston Texans in exchange for a 2027 sixth round pick, while Jack Gibbens signed with the Arizona Cardinals as a restricted free agent and was replaced by K.J. Britt. Linebacker was a widely speculated position of interest for the Patriots during draft season, but it took the team until the sixth round to make an addition with Namdi Obiazor. Khalil Jacobs was added as a UDFA shortly after the draft, but neither saw much time on the field during practices in early June.

Britt was also on-and-off the field as he dealt with some sort of injury to begin the summer. In his stead, Chad Muma spent a good amount of time calling the defensive plays at the line with the green dot helmet. As a former third round pick by the Indianapolis Colts, Muma does have potential for a more significant role, but is still largely unproven.

After Spillane fought through an ankle sprain for the back-half of 2025 and into the postseason, the Patriots' depth at linebacker has been previously tested. Without a “Vrabel guy” like Gibbens slotted into the sub-linebacker role this season and Britt already fighting to stay available, New England could look to the free agent market to find a rotational piece that can provide some insurance.

Notable Free Agents

Matt Milano, Kenneth Murray, Bobby Okereke, Elandon Roberts, Bobby Wagner

Currently Rostered: Bryce Baringer

Bryce Baringer enters the 2026 season in the final year of his rookie contract. With no public discussion of an extension, it’s been widely speculated that the Patriots would at least entertain competition at the position ahead of the fall.

Thus far, New England has been reluctant to sign another punter, but there have been some cameos this spring.

Likely still debating Baringer as a long-term extension candidate, the Patriots refrained from committing themselves to multiple seasons of another leg with a selection in the NFL Draft. They did, however, bring in UDFA punters Mitch McCarthy and Devin Bale for tryouts during offseason practices.

While neither resulted in a signing, New England could be planting the seeds for a more serious training camp battle. If Baringer wins out, he’d be one step closer to an extension. If not, the team would be closer to finding their long-term replacement.

Notable Free Agents

Jamie Gillan, Matt Haack, Thomas Morstead

Nose Tackle, Cornerback, Safety

New England’s offseason began with concerns about shrinking depth at nose tackle and defensive back with the notable losses of Khyiris Tonga and Jaylinn Hawkins in free agency.

Cory Durden projects as an in-house replacement for Tonga who put together a well-rounded playoff performance for the Patriots in 2025. But weighing in at 6’4”, 305 lbs., he lacks the traditional size to play over the center. Eric Gregory (6’4”, 320 lbs.) may be better suited for that role, but as of now, it is unclear who will win the competition this fall.

Kevin Byard III looks to be an upgrade over Hawkins at safety, but question marks remain behind Byard and Craig Woodson as the top pairing. Free agent acquisition Mike Brown has seemingly impressed this spring, but none of the rostered depth safeties have had enough significant defensive playing time to pencil in as a dependable piece in the rotation. If another addition isn’t made, Brown will likely join Brenden Schooler and Dell Pettus among the safety ranks.

Cornerback may also be set with free agent addition Kindle Vildor and fifth round pick Karon Prunty seeing the lion’s share of reps sans-Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis III, but as with safety, there is uncertainty about the rotation behind New England’s starting group.

While the Patriots may not actively seek out upgrades at these positions, they could warrant further discussion if-and-when other roster situations change around the league this fall.

New England’s offseason roster moves provided more security at several key areas of need, but their roster build is far from complete. Now, they’ll transition from finding immediate contributors to plugging gaps in the depth chart as insurance from injuries during the gauntlet of the regular season.

Which position group do you think the Patriots are most likely to add another body to this summer? Drop your thoughts in the comments below and join the conversation on Patriots Roundtable.

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