One of the most eventful weeks on the NFL calendar is right around the corner, and the New England Patriots once again project to be major players. Ranking among the league leaders with currently $61.6 million salary cap space, they have the means and the motivation to restock a roster that advanced all the way to the Super Bowl a year ago.<\/p>\n
Naturally, all of our attention this week was on the upcoming free agency. And with that said, welcome to the latest edition of our Sunday Patriots Notes.<\/p>\n
Patriots free agency needs, ranked<\/p>\n
Although they played in the Super Bowl just a month ago, the Patriots are not necessarily in a position to rest on their laurels. For starters, they lost that game in relatively lopsided fashion. In addition, a look at their roster overall shows that several areas need to be addressed either be re-signing internal options or by looking at the open market for reinforcements.<\/p>\n
With that in mind, let\u2019s go through our admittedly subjective ranking to find out where New England has the biggest potential for improvement in free agency.<\/p>\n
14. Quarterback: The Patriots have Drake Maye, and everything behind him is just gravy. That said, having Joshua Dobbs still under contract and re-signing Tommy DeVito on a two-year extension gives New England some solid depth options at the most important position in the sport.<\/p>\n
13. Long snapper: Julian Ashby played good football as a rookie in 2025. Nothing to worry about here.<\/p>\n
12. Kicker: Even though Andy Borregales had his ups and downs, particularly down the stretch, he showed enough flashes to be given more opportunities. Maybe another kicker gets added as a camp leg of sorts, but the spot is fine with Borregales as the top option.<\/p>\n
11. Punter: Bryce Baringer is entering the final year of his rookie contract off a campaign that features plenty of ups but also the occasional down. The Patriots might try to bring in some competition this offseason.<\/p>\n
10.Cornerback: With Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis and Marcus Jones as the top three, the starter level is set in stone. The group behind them could benefit from some upgrades and developmental depth, especially now that Alex Austin is headed for the open market.<\/p>\n
9. Off-ball linebacker: Eliot Wolf said at the Scouting Combine that the Patriots would like to add some youth at linebacker, but that they are quite happy with the group they have. That makes sense, with Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss providing some quality play from atop the depth chart.<\/p>\n
8. Running back: Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson are a perfectly fine one-two at running back, and should show some natural growth in 2026. That said, their presence should not prevent the Patriots from adding extra depth and upside.<\/p>\n
7. Offensive tackle: Will Campbell and Morgan Moses are expected back as the starting tandem at offensive tackle, but questions remain. While the ones surrounding Campbell have been the most publicised in the aftermath of the Super Bowl, the biggest might be how to build depth behind them and prepare for Morgan to eventually call it a career possibly as early as next offseason.<\/p>\n
6. Interior defensive line: Few positions on the roster have as many high-profile moving pieces as the interior D-line. Besides Khyiris Tonga being one of three free agents, the Patriots also have yet to learn about Christian Barmore\u2019s fate in light of his legal issues. At this point, everything seems possible with this group.<\/p>\n
5. Safety: Jaylinn Hawkins is an unrestricted free agent, but even retaining him should not keep the Patriots from adding to the group. Craig Woodson played some solid football as a rookie starter last year, but he alone won\u2019t be able to get the job done<\/p>\n
4. Tight end: Hunter Henry is not getting any younger, and the depth behind him no more exciting. The Patriots should be looking at bringing some youth into the fold to improve the outlook not just temporarily but in the long term.<\/p>\n
3. Interior offensive line: With Garrett Bradbury off to Chicago, the Patriots are now looking at an interior starting group of Ben Brown Jared Wilson and Mike Onwenu. They are expected to add a stater-level left guard to move Brown back to his role as a top backup, possibly as early as this coming week.<\/p>\n
2. Wide receiver: Stefon Diggs was the Patriots\u2019 most productive wideout a year ago, but he will be cut after the start of the new league year. His departure creates a massive spot in the starting lineup, but also gives the team resources to aggressively pursue another wideout on the open market.<\/p>\n
1. Edge: Harold Landry will turn 30 this summer and is coming off an injury-plagued season; Anfernee Jennings and Elijah Ponder are solid depth pieces, but seemingly no future world-beaters either; Bradyn Swinson is a total wildcard; and finally: K\u2019Lavon Chaisson is headed for free agency after arguably the best season of his career. Whether it is bringing him back or going after outside options, or both, the need along the edge is obvious.<\/p>\n
So, there you have it, our definitive list of Patriots needs heading toward free agency. Speaking of which, please head down to the comments to discuss.<\/p>\n
Jeremy Springer extension<\/p>\n
The Patriots\u2019 kicking game unit had some ups and downs, but the group as a whole mostly performed well in its 548 total snaps in 2025 \u2014 a direct reflection of its coach. Don\u2019t take it from us either: the Patriots apparently agree, or else they would not have recently signed special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer to a new two-year extension.<\/p>\n