The Patriots are moving from “rebuild” to “contend,” and the first upgrade they’ll need to make is edge. Even with Chaisson trending toward a return, New England still needs more juice — and they’ll have multiple avenues to explore in adding at the position.
The 2026 offseason will be pivotal for the New England Patriots as they officially transition from “rebuilding” to “contending.”
Equipped with a bedrock of youth at premier positions and a coaching staff that can maximize their talent, New England will look to supplement their in-house talent with players currently outside of the organization through free agency, trades, and the NFL Draft.
Now that we’ve taken a closer look at what those position groups look like in our How Free Agency & the NFL Draft Aligns with the New England Patriots’ Offseason Needs, let’s build a plan for improving upon the Patriots prior to the start of next season.
Before we begin, let’s set some parameters. Since we’ve already identified key in-house free agents to retain, this plan will be focused on additions from outside the organization.
In this exercise, trades are fair game — but they won’t be outlandish (like trading for Maxx Crosby and A.J. Brown in the same offseason). We’ll focus mainly on players who are set to become available via free agency or the draft, with a trade idea thrown into the mix when realistically applicable.
More individualized breakdowns of player fits will be coming up soon, so for now, we’ll keep this at an ideological level, rather than providing specific fits for each position.
Without further ado, here are five steps to upgrade the New England Patriots in 2026:
Step 1: A Playmaker at Edge
© Sam Greene via Imagn ImagesThe first priority for New England this offseason will be to address the edge position.
That process has already begun, as the Patriots look to be closing in on a deal to retain pending unrestricted free agent K’Lavon Chaisson. Chaisson put up career numbers in his first year in Foxboro, including a career-best 12 sacks including the postseason.
Even with his prospective re-signing, question marks remain at the position. Harold Landry III is eating up a lot of cap space for the team on his current deal, and with injury history and a major drop-off in production last season, he’s likely due for some sort of re-structure. Otherwise, there may still be movement on that front.
With both on the roster, New England still lacks depth behind them. Undrafted rookie Elijah Ponder showed promise, while Bradyn Swinson is still mostly projection — but neither is a deterrent for upgrading.
The Patriots ranked just 24th in the NFL in pressure rate last season, and needed an aggressive, blitz-centric scheme to get to the opposing quarterback at a higher rate during the postseason.
Retaining Chaisson doesn’t change the fact that the Patriots still need more at edge, but it may signal that they won’t be big spenders at the position in free agency.
Most of the available free-agent edge players, although proven productive, trend on the older end and come with injury history. Trey Hendrickson would be the ideal signing, but even he is coming off of a December surgery — and will likely come with a hefty price tag.
New England could look to target a player like Kwity Paye instead, who is just 27 years old and coming off of a down year with the Indianapolis Colts (four sacks in 2025; eight sacks in 2023 and 2024). His cap number would be more manageable, but it’s a wonder if the Patriots feel that they’ve already filled that type of role with Chaisson.
If the Patriots want to swing for the fences on a Maxx Crosby trade, they’d likely be sending at least one player to Las Vegas to compensate for his cap hit ($35.83 million).
Theoretically, it could be done. With at least one or two premium draft picks — starting with pick 31 in 2026 and likely including a 2027 first round pick — and some combination of Christian Barmore or Mike Onwenu, New England would be able to make the numbers work.
That type of trade feels a bit too rich, though. There will be plenty of other suitors for Crosby’s services if he actually is made available, and the Patriots’ first-round pick is much lower than other offers the Raiders would be receiving.
A more realistic trade parter may be the New York Giants and edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux. The former fifth overall pick has seen his first team reps plummet since New York paired Brian Burns with Abdul Carter last offseason, and head coach John Harbaugh hasn't dispelled any rumors surrounding the 25 year old's continued availability.
Thibodeaux could be a "buy low" trade target with the potential for great upside... similar to New England's strategy addressing the position in free agency last offseason with Chaisson.
Rather than mortgaging their future at the position, it’s probably more realistic that we see the Patriots spend one of their first three picks on an edge in the NFL Draft.
With the depth at that position and their collection of Day 3 draft picks (eight), a trade-up on Day 2 may be the perfect fit. Using their first round pick on an edge certainly isn't out of the question, but the talent at other positions falls off much quicker in the later rounds that it looks to at edge rusher this year.
Most of the “premium” first round options in the Draft will probably be gone by the time New England is on the board at 31, and they’ll be able to find a player occupying a similar range on the draft board if they’re moving up in the second or third round.
As of now, it looks like Akheem Mesidor, R Mason Thomas, Gabe Jacas, Zion Young, LT Overton, Romello Height, Derrick Moore, Joshua Josephs, and Anthony Lucas could all be targeted on Day 2.
If it’s not a big swing on a trade, the Patriots are more likely to target developmental talent to work under Chaisson and Landry early in the NFL Draft than signing an older veteran to a high-priced contract.
Looking Ahead
© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn ImagesWith edge rusher filled in as the team’s number one need, the Patriots will enter the offseason with plenty of options for adding talent to the room.
Most likely, they'll fill that need by drafting a player within the first three rounds, and/or adding another rusher on a reasonable short-term deal through free agency or a trade. We'll explore those options more as we inch closer to the new league year.
Next, we’ll look at the other side of the ball — with three offensive keys that will put the finishing touches on Drake Maye’s surrounding cast.
How do you think New England should prioritize their needs this offseason? Which players would you like to see added to the roster for 2026? Let us know in the comments below.
We’ll be continuing our “5 Steps to Upgrading the New England Patriots in 2026” series over the course of the next few days.
Stay tuned for that and much more right here on Patriots Roundtable.
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