10 Key Takeaways from the New England Patriots’ Loss to the Cleveland Browns

It’s time to bid the 2026 preseason adieu.

The New England Patriots concluded preseason action last night, dropping the finale to the Cleveland Browns, 37-13, at Huntington Bank Field. In a game that heavily featured each team’s reserves and roster hopefuls, New England struggled to stay competitive against Dillon Gabriel and Cleveland’s backups early and never recovered.

Following a week filled with questions surrounding the roster’s depth, the Patriots’ backups failed to control the point of attack and were victim to several lapses in coverage. Glimpses of optimism came with offensive fireworks to start, but faded quickly as the Browns mounted five consecutive scoring drives (three touchdowns, two field goals) on each of their first-half drives to put the game away early. 

Here are 10 key takeaways from New England’s loss to Cleveland in the preseason finale:

Rest & Recovery

As expected, the Patriots used Week 3 of the preseason to rest and recover after successfully completing 22 training camp practices, two weeks of joint practices, and sustaining several injuries. Head coach Mike Vrabel preached caution in playing starters during exhibition games following last week’s win over the Philadelphia Eagles, and followed through in action last night against the Browns.

In all, New England had 39 players who did not dress for the preseason finale: P Bryce Baringer, DT Christian Barmore, WR A.J. Brown, IOL Ben Brown, OT Marcus Bryant, S Kevin Byard III, LT Will Campbell, CB Carlton Davis III, WR DeMario Douglas, WR Romeo Doubs, DT Cory Durden, LB Christian Elliss, FB Reggie Gilliam, CB Christian Gonzalez, TE Hunter Henry, WR Mack Hollins, ED Xavier Holmes, RB Tre’Veyon Henderson, S Eric Butler, LB Khalil Jacobs, ED Dre’Mont Jones, CB Marcus Jones, ED Harold Landry III, QB Drake Maye, OT Lorenz Metz, RB Jam Miller, RT Morgan Moses, G Mike Onwenu, ED Elijah Ponder, TE Eli Raridon, S Jaylen Reed, LB Robert Spillane, S Brenden Schooler, RB Rhamondre Stevenson, DT Milton Williams, C Jared Wilson, S Craig Woodson, G Alijah Vera-Tucker, and G Greg Van Roten. 

Each of those players vying for roster spots at key battleground positions — running back, cornerback, and in the trenches — were among those who did participate, but to varying degrees, and to little success.

New Additions

The Patriots welcomed three new additions to the roster this week, but only two of them saw action on Thursday night.

Safety Jaylen Reed, who was acquired in a trade that sent wide receiver Kayshon Boutte to the Houston Texans, did not participate in the preseason finale after first joining the team on Tuesday. He is likely a roster-lock and will factor in as a rotational nickel defender and box safety whose strengths are as a downhill thumper over the middle of the field and in underneath zones. New England will have decisions to make on Dell Pettus and John Saunders Jr. to round out the room. Saunders played through the fourth quarter (team-high 62 defensive snaps) against the Browns after leading the team with five interceptions through training camp practices and preseason games.

Guard Jack Conley didn't start for the Patriots after signing on Monday, but did play through the second half. A player who’s shown versatility to flex out to the edges, Conley saw action exclusively at right tackle when he was in the game. He was flagged late for a false start, but didn't allow any pressures on 17 pass blocking snaps.

Matt Haack held down the fort in relief of Bryce Baringer and took punting duties over from quarterback Behren Morton, who booted the ball three times last week. Haack was busy on Thursday night, finishing the game with four punts for 186 yards (46.5 yards per punt), with three inside-the-20, no touchbacks, and a long of 63 yards. A strong showing for Haack, who could begin the regular season on the 53-man roster if Baringer isn’t ready to return.

Grant Calls Offensive Plays

Renewing an annual tradition, Vrabel & Co. elected to have quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant call the offensive plays during Thursday night's game. 

In the preseason finale last year, it was former defensive coordinator and current assistant head coach Terrell Williams who got the nod to call plays. This year, it was Grant’s turn — a nice show of confidence in the ascending assistant whose previously received praise as an essential component in the development of quarterback Drake Maye.

Vrabel first crossed paths with Grant in Cleveland in 2024, when Vrabel served as a coaching and personnel consultant and Grant was the Browns’ offensive assistant and quarterbacks coach. That connection came full-circle last night — and put Grant in the spotlight on a nationally televised game.

Williams Wows

Second-year wide receiver Kyle Williams put a bow on an incredibly strong preseason showing with another highlight-reel touchdown grab from long-range to open the scoring for the Patriots in Cleveland. For the third time in as many weeks, Williams was on the receiving end of a Tommy DeVito go-ball for six points — this time from 45 yards-out.

In the preseason opener versus the Indianapolis Colts, Williams caught a back-shoulder throw from DeVito from 12-yards out to get into the end zone. Last week against Philadelphia, it was a 69-yard strike down the right sideline. Last night, Williams caught each of DeVito’s two completions, totalling 55 yards and the touchdown. His first reception — a curl route on a perfectly timed throw from DeVito — moved the sticks on third down. His second came on the signature vertical route down the left sideline, where Williams used his elite speed to pull away from former New England cornerback D'Angelo Ross and score.

The brief, yet impactful, performance from Williams also showed a great improvement in efficiency. Against the Eagles, the speedy receiver hauled in just two of his six targets. In the one quarter he saw the field against the Browns, he hauled in each of his targets. Williams stacked together three productive preseason outings back-to-back-to-back, and looks primed for an increased role during the regular season. He’ll certainly be receiving more looks in the Patriots' offense now that Boutte isn’t ahead of him in the pecking order. So far, he’s made the most of those.

Rookie Report

It was an abbreviated evening for New England’s first and second round picks, Caleb Lomu and Gabe Jacas, in the preseason finale. Like DeVito and Williams, Lomu and Jacas were both pulled from the game after two drives, but didn’t have the same successes as the former.

Lomu played a total of nine snaps on two drives for the Patriots, and started the game at right tackle after playing last week’s contest back at his collegiate position of left tackle. His performance on the right side was much better — Lomu didn’t allow a pressure on six pass blocking snaps, and gave DeVito enough time to push the ball downfield on his third down conversion to Williams with a stunt pick-up on defensive tackle Adin Huntington.

In contrast, Jacas’ over-aggressiveness continues to be exploited by the opposition. Like last week, he was targeted early on a play-action boot on the Browns’ first offensive snap of the game. Similarly, he over-pursued the running back on the fake and allowed quarterback Dillon Gabriel to break contain and complete the pass. On Cleveland’s second drive, Jacas was isolated again on a 3rd-and-2 read option — he once again committed to playing the running back and allowed Gabriel the space to pick up eight yards and a first down on the edge. Jacas didn’t register a tackle on the night.

With thinning depth at each position, Lomu and Jacas have the potential to take on significant roles in the trenches for New England this season — but both have raised questions on their readiness to do so. 

RB3?

After months of twists and turns, the Patriots may have finally tipped their hand in the battle for the third running back job. 

When the offseason began, second-year running back Lan Larison received the vast majority of the reps with the second-team offense. A training camp standout who missed the 2025 season with a broken foot, Larison’s active summer began to sputter during the preseason. He struggled as a between-the-tackles runner in the preseason opener (seven carries, one yard), but managed to be a reliable target in the passing game (six catches, 38 yards). Larison bounced back against Philadelphia with nine carries, 33 rushing yards (3.7 yards per carry), and added three catches and 41 yards receiving.

His extensive opportunity through the summer came as Terrell Jennings worked his way back from the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, but was ultimately waived with an injury settlement. In his stead, Hassan Haskins and JaMycal Hasty were added to the 90-man roster. Haskins — a former fourth-round pick by Vrabel with the Tennessee Titans — began to receive extensive run with the second-team offense through joint practices with the Eagles and into this week, and threatened for the role.

The final contestant in the backfield — rookie seventh-round pick Jam Miller — burst onto the scene with 14 carries and 55 rushing yards in the preseason opener. While his averages took a step back in Week 2 (11 carries, 36 yards), Miller still showcased his vision and elusiveness on a 20-yard gain off-tackle in the third quarter.

Miller didn’t play in Thursday night’s preseason finale. Larison was pulled after the eight snaps. If playing time is any indication of roster status come cut down day, they're the leaders for the third running back spot. Then, it would come down to the coaching staff’s preference on play type. Miller is the more natural runner, while Larison brings more versatility as a receiver. It’s been-long rumored that New England would lean in the direction of a pure rusher for the job, but we’ll see for certain on Sunday.

Corner Competition

The competition at cornerback came to a head on Thursday night, but didn’t inspire much confidence in the depth behind the starters. With limited openings available on the 53-man roster, Charles Woods and Kindle Vildor may have been competing for one spot as a rotational backup on the boundary. Both had their blunders against the Browns.

Vildor had previously seen his stock rise with impressive outings in the first two preseason games. He grabbed an interception on the first defensive possession of the game against Indianapolis, and registered three pass breakups versus Philadelphia. In Cleveland, Vildor was targeted once in coverage and allowed a 21-yard reception to Gage Larvadain. He was also flagged for pass interference on a 3rd-and-9 on the Browns’ opening drive, moving the ball 28 yards from Cleveland’s 46-yard line to the Patriots’ 26. Vildor concluded that possession with a missed tackle at the goal line on wide receiver Luke Floriea’s first touchdown.

Woods was the corner who was beat on the touchdown — he was in man coverage, and was forced to track the receiver moving left-to-right across the line of scrimmage on a play-action boot by Gabriel. Woods collided with linebacker Namdi Obiazor and cornerback Karon Prunty, and wasn’t able to recover in time to make a play on the receiver. He was targeted five times in coverage on the night, and allowed five receptions, 69 yards, one touchdown, and a perfect passer-rating against of 158.3, per PFF. Woods was also credited with two missed tackles.

Of the fifteen players who took coverage snaps for New England against Cleveland, Woods (34.9) and Vildor (27.7) received the lowest grades in the game. After receiving favor early in training camp, Woods played into the fourth quarter Thursday night. He primarily aligned in the slot (24 snaps) — a departure from his usual spot on the outside. Neither did much to help their argument for a place on the roster in the preseason finale, nor ease the concerns about the lack of injury insurance in the room.

Elsewhere, Marcellas Dial Jr. was on the wrong end of Floriea’s second touchdown reception of the game, and Kobee Minor missed a tackle on Davon Booth’s fourth quarter touchdown run. Fifth-round pick Karon Prunty has shown flashes throughout the summer, and was largely a bright spot in an otherwise dull evening from the secondary. He allowed two catches on four targets, 23 yards, a passer-rating against of 67.7, and added five tackles and a tackle-for-loss. 

Undrafted free agent Channing Canada returned to the lineup after missing Week 2 of the preseason. He played as the slot cornerback against the Colts, but moved to the outside (22 snaps) against the Browns and was targeted twice on 14 coverage snaps; he allowed one reception, five yards, and a passer-rating against of 56.3. 

Gabriel sat after finishing the first-half 12-of-15 with 186 passing yards, three touchdown passes, and a passer rating of 157.9. Rookie quarterback Taylen Green completed 5-of-7 passes for 27 yards and added eight carries for 66 yards (8.3 yards per carry) rushing. The Browns converted on eight-of-13 third downs, four-of-six trips in the red zone, and each of their three trips inside the 10-yard line. Cleveland quarterbacks had their way with the Patriots’ secondary reserves as their stock continued to drop.

The best answer at cornerback? That’s anyone’s guess. The coaching staff has seemed to lean towards Woods at the top rotational backup all summer, but Vildor and Prunty had been pushing him late after a slow recovery from an earlier camp injury. Now, it could be anybody’s spot for the taking — but each comes with reservations, and the hope that they don’t see many snaps during the regular season.

Set the Edge

Paired with New England’s coverage woes were a continued inability to affect the game with their front-seven. The Patriots finished the night with three times as many missed tackles (15) as they did total quarterback pressures (five), allowed 4.4 yards per rush, and 166 total rushing yards against. The Browns dominated time of possession, 34:25 to 25:35.

Early in the game, it was the passing attack that did most of the damage for Cleveland. Jacas was the first player to create pressure on the quarterback, but Gabriel’s play-action boot to wide receiver Ben Patterson was completed for a catch-and-run of 52 yards on the play. Linebacker Riley Wilson, defensive tackle Casey Rogers, and edge rushers Quintayvious Hutchins and Amari Gainer also recorded pressures. Gainer was flagged for roughing the passer on a hit around the ankles.

Without much help from the pass rush, Browns’ quarterbacks picked apart the secondary and leaned on the ground game late. Green’s legs became a major factor in the second-half, and sparked the putaway drive late in the third quarter with a 30-yard scramble from his own end zone. That possession resulted in a 15-play, 98-yard touchdown drive that ate up 9:26 of game time and continued into the fourth quarter. Booth capped it off with an eight-yard score, spinning cornerback Kobee Minor out of his shoes for a broken tackle on the play. He finished the evening with 10 carries, 40 yards, and the touchdown.

Most of Cleveland’s damage on the ground came in the second-half when they were far ahead on the scoreboard. They averaged just 2.9 yards per rush in the first-half (44 rushing yards), but New England’s reserves were unable to stop their downhill momentum late. 

In a crowded room of underwhelming performances up front, sixth-round rookie Namdi Obiazor stood out for the Patriots. He got the start at linebacker and was active throughout the night, leading the team with 11 total tackles. Obiazor and Chad Muma (five tackles) each played deep into the game after once being considered the top rotational linebackers off the bench. That role may go to undrafted free agent Khalil Jacobs (DNP) or new addition K.J. Britt (three tackles) on cutdown day after last night’s shaky showing from the front-seven.

Control the Point

New England’s offensive line has been a revolving door due to injury early in the 2026 season. Thursday night was the first game that they escaped without adding another to the list — an improvement in one area in an otherwise bleak string of performances.

Working through highs and lows to start the preseason, the starting lineup was shuffled once again, with Lomu moving back to right tackle and James Hudson III returning to left tackle after starting the last two games out-of-position at right guard. Training camp addition Joseph Michalski started at right guard, joined by Mehki Butler at left guard and Jacob Rizy at center for the second straight week.

Like their previous outings, the Patriots’ front line was inconsistent in holding control at the point of attack for both the running and passing games. New England rushed 24 times for 90 yards (3.8 yards per carry), allowed 11 quarterback pressures, and surrendered four sacks for a loss of 32 yards on the night. 

While the sack numbers don’t look great, they weren’t all the fault of the offensive line. Rookie quarterback Behren Morton looked indecisive in the pocket on occasion, leading to pressures, sacks, and turnovers when he second-guessed his read and pulled the ball back down to extend plays. 

Butler was the only lineman who was credited with allowing a sack on Thursday night (a decisively quick loss to defensive tackle Coziah Izzard in the third quarter), and looked much more effective as a run blocker than pass protector. He had a combination block with Rizy in the second quarter that sprung Hasty for a 3rd-and-1 conversion. Rizy had a couple of bad losses in the run game, but was overall one of New England’s more reliable interior players. He allowed no pressures and led the team with 59 blocking snaps.

Sixth-round pick Dametrious Crownover entered the game as Lomu’s substitute at right tackle and took 28 snaps there before moving to left tackle for his final 22 to end the game. He impressed last week, and while he allowed three pressures in pass protection, also laid claim to one of the more dominant victories by Patriot offensive linemen on a 4th-and-1 conversion by Haskins in the second quarter. Crownover moved Browns’ defensive end Justin Okwara five yards off of the line of scrimmage on the play, creating a wide gap for Haskins to exploit.

Depending on Marcus Bryant’s health entering the regular season, Crownover could make a surprise run at a roster spot. But the ceiling for any of the others will be the practice squad. This is another group with major depth questions, and it’s already being tested with early injuries.

Morton Returns to Earth

The Behren Morton hype train was at an all-time high following last week’s 13-of-17 showing that included a last-minute game-winning touchdown pass and punting duties to boot. Last night, Morton returned to Earth with a much more tenuous outing against the Browns, completing 18-of-28 passes with 128 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions, three sacks taken, and a passer rating of 44.2.

Morton frequently looked unsettled in the pocket, out of rhythm, and unable to create positive plays outside of structure. His first interception came on a late checkdown to tight end C.J. Dippre on a play-action boot. The rookie threw it at the feet of his receiver, who had turned to block;  when the ball arrived, it popped up into the air off of Dippre’s foot and into the waiting arms of Easton Mascarenas-Arnold. 

His second recorded interception was more egregious, and there should have been a third. After a questionable pass interference penalty negated a pick on a late throw up the seam to Nick DeGennaro, Morton held the ball past the play’s design on a 4th-and-2 conversion attempt, leading to a scramble pressure and errant throw back across his body that was taken the other direction by linebacker Justin Jefferson. Both offensive tackles ran cut-blocks on the play, signaling that the ball should have come out soon after Morton received the snap.

Holding onto the ball too long also led to two of Morton’s three sacks against Cleveland. The first of the two may also have taken points off the board, as he passed up an open Kyle Dixon at the goal line before being taken down to stall the possession inside the Browns’ 20-yard line. Dixon was one of the few risers for New England’s offense in Thursday night’s game. He concluded the evening with game-highs in receptions (eight) and receiving yards (71), and picked up four first downs. His longest reception was a 19-yard gain on a deep in-cut in the second quarter.

Morton reminded everyone that he’s a rookie in the preseason finale, but has done enough over the last month to warrant consideration as a developmental emergency third quarterback option.

Looking Ahead

With training camp and the preseason in the rearview mirror, New England will shift focus toward the regular season — beginning with trimming the roster from 90 players to 53 by Sunday at 6:00 p.m. ET. The successes and failures of the past month of internal instruction and evaluation will determine the futures of many players currently on the bubble. Last night’s contest was a final audition for those on the fringes of roster contention; what now remains are a collection of difficult decisions that will shape the strengths and weaknesses of the team’s middle class this fall. We’ll soon see who did enough to secure one of the very few available openings.

What were your biggest takeaways from the Patriots’ loss to the Browns? Drop your thoughts in the comments below and join the conversation on Patriots Roundtable.

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