- Drake Maye continues to ascend: The second-year quarterback leads a Patriots team coming off a Super Bowl appearance after an impressive 2025 campaign.
- A.J. Brown transforms the offense: New England landed the star receiver to give Maye a true No. 1 target while continuing to invest in the offensive line.
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The New England Patriots were the surprise team of the 2025 NFL season, going from a 4-13 record in 2024 to a 14-3 mark that saw them win the AFC East. They reached the Super Bowl for the first time since Tom Brady‘s departure but ultimately ran into the buzzsaw that was the Seattle Seahawks‘ defense.
With a star quarterback still on his rookie contract, the expectation is that New England will once again compete for a championship in 2026. Here is our 2026 preview of the New England Patriots.
Key Free Agency/Trade Additions
| Position | Player | 2025 PFF Grade |
|---|---|---|
| WR | A.J. Brown | 80.9 |
| WR | Romeo Doubs | 74.6 |
| G | Alijah Vera-Tucker | 77.7 |
| FB | Reggie Gilliam | 72.4 |
| EDGE | Dre’Mont Jones | 64.7 |
| S | Kevin Byard III | 75.4 |
| LB | K.J. Britt | 58.7 |
| S | Mike Brown | 67.1 |
| CB | Kindle Vildor | 59.3 |
The long-anticipated A.J. Brown trade to New England finally happened early this summer, giving Drake Maye a true No. 1 target at wide receiver. Brown is coming off a down season by his standards but still averaged 1.96 yards per route run and has earned a PFF receiving grade above 80.0 in each of his seven NFL seasons. He has forced double-digit missed tackles after the catch in all but one of those seasons. He gives Maye a playmaker who can win at every level of the field.
The offensive line ultimately proved to be the Patriots' undoing in the Super Bowl, prompting the addition of Alijah Vera-Tucker at left guard. Vera-Tucker missed the entire 2025 season, and injuries have derailed much of his career, but at his best he has shown he can be one of the top guards in football. During his standout 2024 campaign, he earned PFF grades above 70.0 as both a run blocker and pass blocker while allowing just 16 pressures on 619 pass-blocking snaps.
2026 NFL Draft Class
| Position | Player | 2025 PFF Grade |
|---|---|---|
| T | Caleb Lomu | 68.4 |
| EDGE | Gabe Jacas | 78 |
| TE | Eli Raridon | 67.6 |
| CB | Karon Prunty | 84.1 |
| OT | Dametrious Crownover | 65.4 |
| LB | Namdi Obiazor | 71.5 |
| HB | Jam Miller | 66.2 |
| EDGE | Quintayvious Hutchins | 68.2 |
The Patriots continued to invest in the offensive line during the draft, using their first-round pick on Utah left tackle Caleb Lomu. He's coming off a career-best 82.1 PFF pass-blocking grade after allowing just eight pressures — and no sacks — on 383 pass-blocking snaps in 2025. He should provide valuable depth at both tackle spots as a rookie before eventually stepping into the starting lineup at right tackle, though his experience on the left side gives the Patriots flexibility for the future.
Gabe Jacas has the size to fit what the Patriots want from their edge defenders. He earned PFF pass-rush grades above 80.0 in each of the past two seasons and is coming off a year in which he generated 41 pressures, with 19 resulting in either sacks or quarterback hits, on 292 pass-rushing snaps.
Reasons for optimism
Drake Maye took a major step forward in his second NFL season, finishing the year with an 80.7 PFF grade that ranked eighth among quarterbacks. His 4.9% big-time throw rate ranked 11th in the league, and if he can cut down on the turnover-worthy plays after posting a 3.3% turnover-worthy play rate that tied for 23rd last season, he could take another significant step forward in 2026.
The Patriots dedicated the offseason to building around him, with the additions of A.J. Brown, Alijah Vera-Tucker and Romeo Doubs upgrading three key spots on offense. There were questions surrounding left tackle Will Campbell‘s finish to the season, though many of those stemmed from the injury he was playing through late in the year. There's no denying he endured a difficult final three-game stretch, earning a 40.8 PFF grade from the divisional round through the Super Bowl. Before that, he led all rookie offensive tackles with a 74.0 PFF grade, giving the Patriots every reason to expect him to return to that form now that he is fully healthy.
Reason for pessimism
The Patriots have talent throughout their defense, but if there's one area to criticize, it's the lack of a truly dominant edge defender. Gabe Jacas could develop into that player, and the addition of Dre'Mont Jones gives them another versatile piece they can move around the defensive front. Jones ranked just 25th among edge defenders in pressures (51) during the regular season last year, while Harold Landry tied for 28th in his first season in New England despite battling a lingering knee injury.
The Patriots don't lack capable edge rushers, and they can manufacture pressure through scheme, but they would benefit from a more consistent difference-maker off the edge.
Breakout Candidate
A fourth-round pick out of Cal in the 2025 NFL Draft, safety Craig Woodson played 1,202 snaps across the 2025 regular season and playoffs as a rookie. His 89.7 PFF run-defense grade far outpaced his 63.0 PFF coverage grade, making him better suited to playing in the box. The addition of Kevin Byard III in free agency should allow him to continue to thrive in that role. Even a modest improvement in coverage could see Woodson begin to earn more recognition.
Key roster battles
With Brown and Doubs added at wide receiver, it's clear they will be the Patriots' top two options at the position. What is less clear is who will emerge as the third receiver. The Patriots' third- and fourth-most-targeted wide receivers saw just 46 and 43 targets, respectively, during the regular season last year, and with Brown and Doubs likely to command an even larger share of the offense, there should be an opportunity for someone to carve out a 40-plus-target role.
Mack Hollins ranked second on the team with 64 regular-season targets last year, while Kayshon Boutte edged him by a single receiving yard, finishing with 551 to Hollins' 550. Demario Douglas ranked second among Patriots wide receivers with an 81.1 PFF receiving grade, trailing only Stefon Diggs, while Kyle Williams led all Patriots players with at least 10 targets by averaging 20.9 yards per catch.
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