SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Within the remaining seconds of the AFC Championship Game, with snow falling from the sky like confetti celebrating a Patriots Tremendous Bowl berth, defensive sort out Cory Durden hugged head coach Mike Vrabel and stored repeating, “you modified my life.”
Durden isn’t the one Patriots participant whose destiny modified this season.
The Super Bowl LX-bound Patriots rescued 4 gamers from shedding seasons with key signings and waiver claims. Durden is simply the prime instance. Minimize from a Giants staff that completed the 2025 season with a 4-13 report out of coaching camp, Durden signed with the Patriots’ follow squad and was nearly instantly promoted to a 53-man roster spot. He went on to start out 4 video games and is a daily contributor as a run-stuffer and early-down cross rusher. Now he’s making ready for his first profession Tremendous Bowl, realizing issues may have gone a lot in a different way if he hadn’t been minimize by the Giants.
“It feels nice. Clearly, I feel two issues. I feel it says rather a lot about (the Giants’) entrance workplace, however I additionally suppose it’s an amazing feeling with the ability to play,” Durden stated. “They noticed the kind of participant I used to be. I used to be the identical participant there that I’m right here now. So it’s an excellent feeling to play for a staff that’s really enjoying significant soccer in February. We’re nonetheless enjoying in February, one of many two groups left.”
Vrabel took his personal little shot on the Giants after the Patriots’ 33-15 Week 13 sport, remarking, “They let him go. … They advised him he wasn’t adequate to play for the Giants, and we thought he was adequate to play for the Patriots.”
The Patriots claimed quarterback Tommy DeVito off waivers from the Giants at some point earlier than they signed Durden to their follow squad. DeVito was additionally saved from a 4-13 season and spent the entire yr because the Patriots’ emergency third quarterback.
“As quickly as I discovered that I used to be claimed, I used to be wanting on the schedule, December 1, circled it,” DeVito stated concerning the Patriots’ Week 13 win over the Giants. “After which it’s a little bit bizarre seeing loads of my dawgs on the market, however it was — I’m a Patriot, and I used to be comfortable we received the win.”
Offensive sort out Thayer Munford Jr., who has discovered a key function as a jumbo tight finish within the Patriots offense, was saved twice. Munford was minimize by the Raiders, who went 3-14 this season, and signed to the Patriots’ follow squad. He was then signed off the Patriots’ follow squad by the Browns, who went 5-12, received minimize and re-signed to the Browns’ follow squad. The Patriots swooped in and signed him off the Browns’ follow squad in late November.
“It’s a blessing,” Munford stated. “I consider it as like, it’s like a diamond within the tough, sort of like. Regardless that you possibly can’t actually discover what’s happening, however you see it, however you actually can’t discover it. However I’m so comfortable and grateful to be right here.”
If the Patriots didn’t sign defensive tackle Leonard Taylor III to their follow squad after he was minimize from the Jets’ 53-man roster in mid-October, their very own fortunes may need modified this season.
Taylor blocked a 45-yard subject objective try from Broncos kicker Will Lutz with 4:46 left within the AFC Championship Sport. It was the sixth sport Taylor had been elevated from the Patriots’ follow squad this season. It could be surprising if he’s not up for his seventh sport on Sunday in Tremendous Bowl LX.
“It’s an incredible feeling, simply coming in, with the ability to contribute to this staff, as a result of once I was on the Jets, it was like, we’re going into the week attempting to determine how we’re going to beat the subsequent staff, the subsequent opponent we went in opposition to. So it’s simply actually life altering to have the ability to come and get a brand new alternative right here and in addition contribute to it,” Taylor stated.
Taylor feels just like the Patriots received a greater model of himself.
He performed 14 video games as an undrafted rookie with the Jets in 2024 however fell out of favor with a brand new Jets defensive workers this season.
“I got here in right here with the mindset I needed to change one thing,” Taylor stated. “So I simply seemed on the sport a approach totally different approach from being minimize. So, I needed to are available in right here and alter one thing. They usually gave me the chance to see all of the laborious work I’ve been placing in, after which it’s been simply displaying on the sector.”
Taylor stated he took movie research extra significantly and put in additional time together with his coaches.
“Once I’m on the market enjoying, I’m not second-guessing myself,” Taylor stated. “So I actually simply put within the time, for actual, placing within the hours to be the dominant participant I may very well be.”
Durden, DeVito, Munford and Taylor are distinctive as a result of they left shedding conditions and joined the Patriots this season. However solely six gamers on the Patriots’ 53-man roster skilled successful seasons final yr. The 23 gamers remaining from final yr’s Patriots squad clearly skilled a 4-13 marketing campaign. General, present Patriots veteran gamers went 220-460 final season for a .324 successful proportion.
