What to Watch For: New England Patriots at Cleveland Browns Preseason Week 3

The end of the preseason is nearly upon us.

The New England Patriots travel to take on the Cleveland Browns in Week 3 of the 2026 preseason on Thursday night, signifying the conclusion of each team’s exhibition bouts and a shift in focus toward preparing for the rigors of the regular season. With the deadline to trim from 90 players to 53 set for Sunday at 6:00 p.m. ET, the contest will mark the end of the line for many — and serve as one last audition for those on the roster bubble looking to make a lasting impression.

Here’s what we’ll be watching for when New England takes the field in Cleveland for the preseason finale on Thursday night:

The Patriots’ starting lineup has yet to see game action during the 2026 preseason, and that isn’t likely to change in Week 3. 

When asked about potential playing time for quarterback Drake Maye and the rest of the starters following New England’s 24-21 win over the Philadelphia Eagles last week, Patriots’ head coach Mike Vrabel lamented: 

“I do not think we have a very deep team, so I think we have to make sure that we are preparing our football team and that we are doing everything that we can to keep our best players available. And if that means playing Thursday as part of preparation, then that is what we will do. I have not made that decision yet, but I would say that that is something that I am confident in with where we are set up currently.”

New England has made strides in shoring-up depth at several positions on the roster over the course of the past two offseasons, but recent drafting woes have left them thin at a variety of spots. While the preseason may test that depth, Vrabel’s logic is sound. The Patriots have already seen the injury bug rear its head early in the summer, and the risk associated with the starters’ participation in a preseason game would not be worth the reward.

In contrast to last summer, New England spent this year’s training camp re-installing familiar concepts on both sides of the ball. With great continuity on the coaching staff comes an even better understanding of the standards, expectations, and scheme from the players — and dramatically diminished need to take part in the preseason. 

Through weeks of training camp and joint practices with the Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia, the Patriots’ coaching staff has already undergone extensive installation and evaluation periods for those at the top of the roster. Now, they’ll ensure that those key components to a successful season are healthy and ready to go come September.

The starters may not be in Thursday night’s lineup, but there will be a few new additions debuting for New England in the preseason finale. On Monday, the Patriots announced the signings of two free agents: guard Jack Conley and punter Matt Haack; on Tuesday, they acquired safety Jaylen Reed in a deal that sent wide receiver Kayshon Boutte to the Houston Texans.

Conley, 25, spent time in New England at the beginning of the 2025 season after being acquired as an undrafted free agent from Boston College. He also had stints with the Detroit Lions and Cleveland, but has yet to see the field in the regular season. Conley will provide short-term depth with experience repping at both guard and tackle, and could be a candidate for the practice squad during the regular season.

Haack, 32, was signed in relief of the injured Bryce Baringer, who exited last week’s contest after two kicks. Haack most recently played for the Arizona Cardinals in 2025, appearing in seven games, and has not seen action in all 17 regular season games since 2022 with Indianapolis. On 478 career punts, he’s averaged 45.0 yards per kick with a net average of 39.9 yards.

Reed, 23, was selected by Houston in the sixth round (No. 187 overall) of the 2025 NFL Draft. As a rookie, Reed played in seven regular season games (one start) and accrued 14 tackles and one fumble recovery. He’ll be a contender to assume the third corner/box safety in nickel or dime personnel packages, but did not participate in team drills during Tuesday’s practice. We’ll see if he’s able to go on Thursday.

It’s been an up-and-down two weeks of preseason performances for the Patriots’ rookie class.

First-round pick offensive tackle Caleb Lomu has seen his role slowly scale back through training camp and preseason games. Lomu began the spring and early summer offseason program taking reps at both tackle spots and along the interior at guard, but has since been relegated back to his collegiate position of left tackle while he learns the ropes of playing in the pros. He initially projected to be New England’s top swing tackle option in 2026 as he makes the transition to right tackle full-time, but that looks to be on pause until he shows the ability to handle more. With injuries plaguing the Patriots early up-front, a good showing from Lomu could go a long way.

Second-round pick edge rusher Gabe Jacas has also left some meat on the bone in game action during the preseason. His late arrival at training camp has been overshadowed by promising reps in practice and a growing presence with the first and second-team defenses, but that has yet to reveal itself in live action. Jacas has taken time to find consistency in his pass rush, and was easily displaced as an edge setter in the run game against Philadelphia’s Markel Bell. While he was more active at the point of attack against the Eagles, he’s yet to have a signature moment against the opposition’s substitute offensive linemen.

Third-round pick tight end Eli Raridon has drawn praise for his improvement as a blocker and reliable hands as a pass-catcher throughout the summer, and has seen a steady increase in reps with the starters as a result. Raridon wasn’t present for the Patriots’ preseason game against the Eagles on Saturday night, but returned to practice as a full participant at the start of this week.

Deeper in the ranks of New England’s rookie class, pathways to roster spots may be on the horizon for fifth-round pick cornerback Karon Prunty and sixth-round pick offensive tackle Dametrious Crownover. Prunty has been stout in coverage in practice and both preseason games, while Crownover graded out as the Patriots’ best pass-blocking offensive lineman in a team-high 68 snaps on Saturday (per PFF). The window into a place on the 53-man roster opened wider for Crownover following an injury to Marcus Bryant just five snaps into the bout.

Saturday’s match-up against Philadelphia featured a war of attrition on the offensive and defensive front lines — one that New England struggled to control for the vast majority of the game.

Already down Ben Brown and Andrew Rupcich inside, Bryant’s early exit marked three significant injuries for the offensive line and cut deep into a room with already thinning depth. Miscues from James Hudson III and a host of undrafted free agents were amplified, and left quarterbacks Tommy DeVito and Behren Morton stranded in the pocket on several occasions. 

On the other side of the ball, the Patriots’ reserves allowed over five yards per-carry to Philadelphia early, forcing Vrabel to burn a timeout in the first quarter and address the “dogs***” defense” that he was seeing. It wasn’t until the second half, when the third-string front was in, that the battle started to shift back in New England’s favor — but that isn’t a promising sign, considering those players are longshots to make it past cut down day.

The Patriots have been forthright in addressing their needs in the trenches this offseason, and have continued to entertain visits from free agents throughout training camp. One of those visits has already led to a signing, as veteran guard Greg Van Roten was brought into the fold last week on a one-year deal. 

Van Roten, 36, has been a full-time starter each of the last three seasons and will be a necessary insurance policy for the interior offensive line during the regular season. He didn’t see any competitive snaps last week versus the Eagles, but has repped with the starting offensive line in practice this week. He could provide a boost on Thursday night if he suits up.

New England has also logged notable visits with defensive tackle DaQuan Jones and linebacker Shaq Thompson. Neither have agreed to terms with a team, but both would be welcome additions if the depth in each room doesn’t take steps forward against the Browns.

Thursday night’s main attraction will be each team’s reserves and hopefuls — players on the fringe of roster contention who are not only auditioning for their current squad, but for the other 31 organizations around the league if they’re not retained past Sunday. Several prominently featured Patriots fall into that category; some with a much more realistic shot to make the team than others. 

Camp battles at running back and in the secondary will be at the forefront when the preseason finale kicks off. 

In the offensive backfield, second-year running back Lan Larison has received the most playing time for New England during preseason games and put together a much more complete performance in the team’s second outing. His previous experience in the offense may give him a leg-up in the competition against rookie Jam Miller, but won’t help Larison much if the decision comes down to him or Hassan Haskins. 

A former fourth-round pick (No. 131 overall) by Vrabel with the Tennessee Titans, Haskins has seen his opportunity expand since being added to the roster ahead of the preseason opener and is a much more savvy between-the-tackles runner than Larison. We’ll see how they look on Thursday, and if their playing time or performances give any indication on which direction the team is leaning.

In the defensive backfield, several contenders have emerged to supplant incumbents at both cornerback and safety. Free agent addition Kindle Vildor has heated up in the last two weeks, registering interceptions in the preseason opener against the Colts and in joint practices against the Eagles before putting together a lockdown performance along the boundary on Saturday night. Thus far, the Patriots have seemingly preferred Charles Woods as the top rotational outside corner, but an underwhelming stretch for him paired with Vildor’s excellence may be changing that outlook.

Reed’s addition at safety complicates an already difficult equation at the third-level of New England’s defense behind starters Kevin Byard III and Craig Woodson. Both Dell Pettus and John Saunders Jr. have shown out in the preseason, highlighted by a fumble recovery for Pettus against Indianapolis and a team-high five interceptions for Saunders through camp. With the likely addition of core special teamer Brenden Schooler, who has spent the summer on the Non-Football Injury (NFI) list, the Patriots may be trending toward keeping six safeties. Or, a difficult decision will need to be made on at least one of them. 

Last year, the Patriots briefly kept six safeties on the 53-man roster before swiftly moving on from Jabrill Peppers. It will be worth monitoring how they navigate those waters in just a few days’ time.

New England’s active offseason has seen more than half of the 90-man roster turn over from this time last year. From free agent swings and trade acquisitions to draft picks and undrafted rookie signings, the front office in Foxboro has aggressively maneuvered upgrading a team fresh-off a Super Bowl LX appearance in February. Now deep into August, the puzzle pieces that connect their 2026 squad are nearly all in place. Those final few on the fringes will be completed in Cleveland. The road to 53 ends here.

What will you be watching for when the Patriots take on the Browns in the preseason finale on Thursday night? Drop your thoughts in the comments below and join the conversation on Patriots Roundtable.

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