Cutdown day is on the horizon. August 31 is quickly approaching, and when it arrives, nearly half of the current 90-man roster in Foxboro will be looking for work elsewhere. 

The New England Patriots arrived for summer camp with 45 new faces added to a roster fresh-off an appearance in Super Bowl LX. Among them were free agents signed in March, NFL draft selections in April, undrafted free agent signings, and one prolific receiver acquired in a June 1 trade — each with widely differing projections for the 2026 season; all of whom welcomed the opportunity for competition.

With two-plus weeks of intrasquad training camp practices, a joint practice session with the Indianapolis Colts, and preseason game number one behind us, the pieces of New England’s roster puzzle are slowly coming together. As the fog of war begins to lift and the true image of the Patriots’ 2026 squad is revealed, we return to the cutting board to examine what the early returns of summer may foreshadow about the team’s future roster-building plans.

Here’s our third go at a 53-man roster projection for the 2026 New England Patriots:

IN: Tommy DeVito, Drake Maye

OUT: Behren Morton (Rookie)

The quarterback room in Foxboro is set for the fall, maintaining the same identity its held since the NFL Draft concluded. Drake Maye will look to continue his upward trajectory amongst the league’s elite signal callers this fall, while Tommy DeVito has used training camp to firmly cement himself as a steady backup option behind Maye. Behren Morton has shown enough to be considered an emergency third quarterback option, but can be held on the practice squad until needed.

IN: TreVeyon Henderson, Lan Larison, Rhamondre Stevenson

OUT: Hasaan Haskins, JaMycal Hasty, Jam Miller (Rookie)

INJURED RESERVE (IR): Terrell Jennings (Injury Settlement), Myles Montgomery (Rookie, Injury Settlement)

The battle for the third running back role behind returning starters Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson has been hotly contested. Terrell Jennings and Myles Montgomery were both waived with injury settlements after being placed on IR, opening the door for Hasaan Haskins and JaMycal Hasty to join the competition late. Injuries also paved a path toward more significant contributions from seventh-round rookie Jam Miller, who led New England with 14 rushes and 55 yards in the preseason opener. Lan Larison’s constant involvement through the spring, summer, and into the preseason as a dependable three-down back with prior experience in Josh McDaniels’ offensive system and the added boost of special teams contributions may be more appealing in the short-term. For now, he gets the nod — with Miller right on his heels.

IN: Reggie Gilliam

OUT: None

Reggie Gilliam will be a key cog in upgrading New England’s 20th ranked EPA per rush in 2025 (-0.03), and has seen the previously rostered competition in the room disperse over the course of the summer. He’s a roster lock, and will be charged with clearing out second-level defenders for Patriots’ ballcarriers during the regular season. The fullback is back in Foxboro.

IN: Kayshon Boutte, A.J. Brown, Efton Chism III, Romeo Doubs, DeMario Douglas, Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams

OUT: Nick DeGennaro (Rookie), Kyle Dixon (Rookie), Cameron Dorner (Rookie), Tejhaun Palmer, Kobe Prentice (Rookie)

IR: Jimmy Kibble (Rookie), Jeremiah Webb

A.J. Brown has filled the suit of an elite top wide receiver since being acquired by the Philadelphia Eagles in a blockbuster trade on June 1. His arrival in Foxboro also likely spelled the end of Kayshon Boutte’s tenure, but no deal has taken place to this point. Boutte’s reduced role has been a sticking point through training camp — even as he’s made the most of the opportunities he’s gotten. He may end up elsewhere eventually, but he’ll be on the roster until that happens. Although initially slow to gain traction in the offense, Romeo Doubs has recently exploded with several productive practices in a row. DeMario Douglas has been the top slot receiver with the first-team offense through training camp, with Efton Chism III also seeing an increased workload inside the numbers. Mack Hollins’ versatility and chemistry with Maye make him a valuable rotational piece, and Kyle Williams has started taking steps forward with several highlight-reel grabs over the last two weeks.

IN: Hunter Henry, Eli Raridon (Rookie), Tanner Arkin (Rookie)

OUT: C.J. Dippre, Mitch Van Vooren, Jack Westover

IR: Julian Hill

The newly-extended Hunter Henry leads the way in the New England tight end room, and will look ahead to another productive campaign with Maye at the helm. Training camp has provided more clarity on the question marks behind Henry, with a pair of rookies taking a firm grasp of the remaining reps available with the first-team offense. Third-round pick Eli Raridon of Notre Dame has impressed with his dependability as a pass-catcher and improvement as a run blocker, while undrafted free agent Tanner Arkin has quickly worked his way into the lineup as a physical presence at the point of attack. Used in a multitude of alignments, Arkin figures to fill the void left by Julian Hill when the free agent addition landed on injured reserve.

IN: Marcus Bryant, Will Campbell, Caleb Lomu (Rookie), Morgan Moses

OUT: Dametrious Crownover (Rookie), James Hudson III, Lorenz Metz (Rookie)

Left tackle Will Campbell and right tackle Morgan Moses will each reprise their roles as starters on the edges of the Patriots’ offensive line when the regular season kicks-off on September 9. Behind them, first-round pick Caleb Lomu has taken snaps at both positions with an emphasis on Moses' side as he transitions to right tackle full-time. Marcus Bryant has returned for year two with a forward-moving developmental path and needs to be considered as a swing-tackle backup option. Just on the outside looking in is Dametrious Crownover, whose projection as a fringe top-100 prospect in the draft makes him a risk to be claimed by another organization if waived. New England will have to take their chances with him on the practice squad.

IN: Ben Brown, Mike Onwenu, Greg Van Roten, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Jared Wilson

OUT: Mehki Butler, Darrian Dalcourt (Rookie), Joseph Michaski (Rookie), JonDarius Morgan (Rookie), Jacob Rizy (Rookie)

IR: Andrew Rupcich (Injury Settlement)

An already thin position group just subtracted from its depth last week, as 2024 third-round pick Caeden Wallace was traded to the Miami Dolphins and both Ben Brown and Andrew Rupcich were injured in the preseason opener. Rupcich was placed on IR and given a settlement, while Brown will miss the remainder of the preseason working his way back from a lower-leg injury. That left the starters, a host of undrafted free agents, and tackles working their way in at guard before Greg Van Roten was added to the room yesterday. A full-time starter for the last three seasons, he will immediately slide in as the top rotational substitute along the interior.

IN: Gabe Jacas (Rookie), Dre’Mont Jones, Elijah Ponder, Bradyn Swinson

PUP: Harold Landry III

OUT: Amari Gainer, Xavier Holmes (Rookie), Quintayvious Hutchins (Rookie), Jesse Luketa

One of the team’s biggest question marks heading into training camp has persisted along the edge. There’s been no update on Harold Landry III’s timeline to return since beginning the year on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, and each passing week makes it all-the-more likely that his stint on PUP will extend into the early portion of the regular season. Without Landry in the lineup, Dre’Mont Jones and Elijah Ponder have commanded the lion’s share of first-team reps, while rookie Gabe Jacas has seen an increased volume and Bradyn Swinson flashed in the preseason opener.

IN: Christian Barmore, Cory Durden, Joshua Farmer, Leonard Taylor III, Milton Williams

OUT: Eric Gregory, Isaiah Iton, Jeremiah Pharms Jr., Casey Rogers

One of the deepest positions on the roster, the interior defensive line starters for the Patriots are set. Milton Williams and Christian Barmore will return as one of the elite defensive tackle duos in the NFL, with Corey Durden sliding into the middle as the team’s solution at nose tackle. Behind those three, second-year interior defensive lineman Joshua Farmer has been active, and the coaching staff has continued to sing the praises of Leonard Taylor III. This could be a group that goes six-deep, but we’ll hold firm with five to free up another spot elsewhere — with Eric Gregory just on the outside looking in.

IN: K.J. Britt, Christian Elliss, Khalil Jacobs (Rookie), Chad Muma, Robert Spillane

OUT: Namdi Obiazor (Rookie), Riley Wilson (Rookie)

Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss will resume their duties as starting off-ball linebackers for New England in 2026, but the room behind them will look much different. Chad Muma — a mid-season addition from the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad in 2025 — has asserted himself as the first rotational piece off-the-bench and has worn the green dot on several occasions through the summer. With one or two more openings to fill, undrafted free agent Khalil Jacobs’ meteoric rise as the fourth linebacker and a willing special teams contributor makes him a likely candidate to steal a roster spot. K.J. Britt files in as the fifth linebacker here after starting the preseason opener and forcing a fumble on quarterback Anthony Richardson in the first-half on Thursday night.

IN: Channing Canada (Rookie), Carlton Davis III, Christian Gonzalez, Marcus Jones, Karon Prunty (Rookie), Charles Woods

OUT: Brandon Crossley, Marcellas Dial Jr., Kenneth Harris (Rookie), Kobee Minor, Kindle Vildor

The superior trio of Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis III, and Marcus Jones will be a tough outing for any opponent this season, but training camp has seen the corner room trailing them evolve in many ways. It’s become clear that the coaching staff prefers Charles Woods as the third outside corner to Gonzalez and Davis, with fifth-round pick Karon Prunty ascending to compete for the role. They both get spots here, with the surprise addition of undrafted free agent Channing Canada as a sixth corner on the roster. Canada’s active camp culminated in a noteworthy performance in the preseason opener: he led the team in tackles (eight), returned kickoffs, and played a high percentage of snaps from the slot. In a room filled with boundary corners, his ability to play behind Jones in the slot and contribute on multiple special teams units makes him a candidate to survive cutdown day.

IN: Kevin Byard III, Dell Pettus, John Saunders Jr., Brenden Schooler, Craig Woodson

OUT: Mike Brown, Eric Butler (Rookie), Peter Manuma (Rookie)

A sneaky battleground position through training camp, the Patriots’ competition for reps at safety surrounding Kevin Byard III and Craig Woodson has become much more intense in recent weeks. Free agent addition Mike Brown initially commanded the third spot behind Byard and Woodson, but strong outings from both Dell Pettus and John Saunders Jr. have changed the outlook entirely. Pettus and Saunders both played a hand in taking the football away from Indianapolis’ offense in the preseason opener and have stacked strong showings on the practice field. They’ll be joined by special teams ace Brenden Schooler when he returns from a prolonged stay on the Non-Football Injury (NFI) list.

IN: LS Julian Ashby, K Andy Borregales, P Bryce Baringer

OUT: NONE

While this list hasn’t changed since our first roster projection of the summer, it’s been a winding road getting here. Julian Ashby has been on-and-off the field with Niko Lalos in waiting as competition at long-snapper, while a subpar performance from Andy Borregales (two-for-five) against the Colts has called his security into question as well. Bryce Baringer — who was expected to be pushed at punter — put together a solid camp highlighted by a 64-yard boot in the preseason opener last Thursday. His job seems to be on the most solid ground, but each makes the cut past August 31.

Training camp and early preseason action has begun to paint a clearer picture of how New England’s 2026 roster will take shape. With two weeks left until the roster is trimmed from 90 to 53, those on the bubble will look to make a statement that can't be easily ignored. The competition for a few remaining openings will intensify in the coming days, leaving the coaching staff with a list of difficult decisions to be made.

Who do you think has made a significant push towards a spot on the Patriots’ initial 53-man roster through training camp? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Related Articles:

- New England Patriots 53-Man Roster Projection: Pre-Training Camp 2026

- Way-Too-Early 2026 New England Patriots 53-Man Roster Projection

- 5 Position Battles to Watch For at New England Patriots Training Camp 2026: Defense

- 5 Position Battles to Watch For at New England Patriots Training Camp 2026: Offense

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