The splash moves get the headlines—but contenders are built on depth. Step 5 is the “draft and develop” blueprint: where the Patriots can add cheap, athletic reinforcements at the fringes to keep the roster strong for the long haul.
Our “5 Steps to Upgrade the New England Patriots in 2026” reaches its conclusion today, as we find areas where New England will look to bolster their depth around a strong young core.
Finally, we land on the heart of it all — drafting and developing.
Step 5 in upgrading the Patriots is bolstering the roster around the solid foundation of players New England collected for 2025.
Step 5: Draft & Develop
© David Butler II-Imagn ImagesOn the fringes, the Patriots could use additional depth and development at several positions.
Starting with safety — Jaylinn Hawkins may be expected to return to Foxboro on a new deal, but is in a similar position to Chaisson as a veteran coming off of a late-blooming breakout year. His pairing with 2025 rookie Craig Woodson got better as the year went along, but they lack depth behind those two.
After moving on from both Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Dugger last season, New England will likely look for a cost-effective way to bring in talent as a supplement to their new safety duo.
While there are options in free agency, those contributors will come at a much higher price than what their role would dictate. Hawkins (85% of snaps) and Woodson (99% of snaps) will be on the field the majority of the time, and another mid-to-late-round pick could provide a cheaper option to spell them.
Off-ball linebacker would be another area lacking depth behind the starters. Jack Gibbens is a restricted free agent that the Patriots will look to retain, but behind him, Robert Spillane, Christian Ellis, and Jahlani Tavai, the cupboard is bare.
New England is trending older at linebacker, and could use a developmental prospect for immediate special teams contributions and a projection of more significant playing time in years to come. In Mike Vrabel’s scheme, athleticism is a requirement at the linebacker spot — and that’s something that they could use more of.
At corner, the Patriots may also look for a developmental boundary or slot player to rotate in behind Carlton Davis and Marcus Jones. Alex Austin was set to be that player in 2025, but saw his campaign cut short due to injury and the addition of Charles Woods. Neither would prevent New England from entertaining a depth corner to compete in camp.
On the offensive end, we’ve already covered offensive line and tight end as positions to bolster depth, but the Patriots may also look to acquire more depth behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson at running back in the later rounds.
With Antonio Gibson currently slotted as the third back and coming off of a torn ACL, he could provide cap savings with any of their other moves — but that would leave them thin in the room, as we saw play out this past season. Terrell Jennings, Elijah Mitchell, and Lan Larison are currently rostered, but none would warrant passing up another projected contributor at this point.
If New England continues their trend of drafting specialists in the latter rounds, punter would be up next in 2026 — as Bryce Baringer is entering the final year of his rookie deal.
The Patriots built a great foundation with many of their current starters, but there are several areas where they used free agency in 2025 as a stopgap while they draft and develop players in the later rounds over the course of several years.
That started with an outstanding draft class last year, and will continue this year with their 11 picks in 2026.
Looking Ahead
© Darren Yamashita-Imagn ImagesThe stars may be aligning for the Patriots to fortify some key areas of need in 2026 and beyond.
New England has the capital and assets to add talent. With the plethora of options for attacking their needs through free agency, trades, and the NFL Draft, the Patriots will have the ability to be selective in how they decide to acquire new players.
All that remains to be seen is where they choose to invest, and via which avenue.
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 diving in deeper on best individual fits in free agency in the coming days, with key positions of need being the primary focus.
Stay tuned for that, and much more to come, right here on Patriots Roundtable.
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