Expectations have been considerably raised for the Patriots in 2026.
In Yr 1 below new head coach Mike Vrabel, the Patriots went 14-3 in the course of the common season and unexpectedly made the Tremendous Bowl after ending 4-13 in consecutive seasons. Now it’s about determining the right way to get again to the Tremendous Bowl and win all of it.
Vrabel and prime front-office executives Eliot Wolf, Ryan Cowden and John Streicher have over $40 million in cap area (with different means to unlock extra) and 11 alternatives within the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Herald is publishing a each day collection with 5 offseason fixes that cowl the draft, free company and trades that may assist the Patriots get again to the Tremendous Bowl.
Step No. 1: Trade for Maxx Crosby
Step No. 2: Fortify offensive line
Step No. 3: Extend key homegrown players
Throughout the common season, the Patriots had a No. 1 receiver.
Stefon Diggs turned the primary participant in New England to prime 1,000 receiving yards since 2019, a feat he managed regardless of taking part in 55% of the workforce’s offensive snaps. He was a weapon versus man-to-man protection and zone. He performed his finest when his finest was wanted, selecting up 146 yards in a primetime win at Buffalo, and 138 over a fourth-quarter comeback at Baltimore.
Then the playoffs hit.
Diggs totaled a meager 110 yards over 4 video games, trying each bit the 33-year-old he shall be subsequent season. Elite defenses have been unafraid of him and the remainder of the Patriots wideouts, who struggled to separate at instances and weren’t a risk to take brief catches and generate explosive performs. Too usually, the Patriots wanted completely executed play design or Drake Maye to increase performs so as to maintain their passing offense within the postseason.
Life can’t be that tough if the Pats wish to take the subsequent step. Maye wants another person to shoulder the playmaking and creation on offense. Maybe no stat captures how a lot Maye powered his passing assault, probably the most explosive within the NFL by yards per try, than the actual fact Patriots receivers pressured the fewest missed tackles per reception of any offense within the league, per Sports activities Information. Options.
The Pats want extra explosive gamers who can eat up yards in area or do extra harm downfield. Yards after the catch and contested catches have been two areas Vrabel referenced earlier than the draft final yr when highlighting the function of analytics within the workforce’s analysis course of.
‘You discuss sturdiness, you discuss peak, weight, pace, measurables, time missed, does that correlate to potential time missed in our league and the sturdiness? So, these are all issues that (analytics) can provide you,” he stated. “You may have a look at sure positions — analytically, it pertains to the receivers and their drop proportion, their capacity to achieve yards after the catch, their contested catch or what number of separation yards, proper? And you then go to the subsequent place.”
Free company provides a transparent, however costly, prime choice in Colts receiver Alec Pierce. He led the NFL with a 21.6 yards per catch common final season, a big-play weapon to pair with a big-play quarterback. Pierce is a muscular, 6-foot-3 wideout with elite pace who would supply an improve over Kayshon Boutte as a go-to goal on deep throws and jump-ball conditions that would draw back from defenses.
Maybe the largest praise anybody will pay Pierce is he made Daniel Jones appear like an above-average quarterback once more. Think about what Maye would possibly do with him?
Wolf may additionally look to his Packer roots and circle Inexperienced Bay’s Romeo Doubs, a No. 2/3 receiver whose strengths embody contested-catch conditions and beating single protection. He had 724 yards and 6 touchdowns on 55 receptions earlier than busting out for 124 yards in a Wild Card playoff loss at Chicago.
Giants slot receiver Wan’Dale Robinson is an electrical participant in area who developed into extra of a deep risk final yr. Robinson had 1,014 yards on 92 catches in New York and posted one of many higher drop charges throughout your complete league. Different veterans accessible embody Calvin Austin III, Marquise Brown and ex-Patriots draft choose Tyquan Thornton, who lastly confirmed flashes of the deep risk he was all the time anticipated to be whereas taking part in in Kansas Metropolis final season.
Within the draft, the 2026 large receiver class is just not thought to be overly deep relative to previous years. Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson, Ohio State’s Carnell Tate and USC slot Makai Lemon are just a few of the first-round names to know with the Patriots scheduled to choose at No. 31 general.
If the Pats don’t draft a receiver early, that must be a powerful signal they anticipate 2025 third-rounder Kyle Williams to make a leap in Yr 2, if not fellow rookie Efton Chism III, as nicely.
