Good morning, and a happy Sunday to all. Here is your Patriots news for 07-12, along with this week’s NFL notes. With mid-July here, we are less than two weeks from the beginning of training camp.
This year is flying by, although the next two weeks waiting for training camp will probably feel like a glacier moving slowly. But the news cycle will probably pick up soon, as we near training camp.
I was going to wait another week before posting a pre-training-camp 53-man roster projection, but it was already done this week, so it is included below. This summer should be very interesting, both at camp and in preseason.
Quick Hitters For the Patriots and NFL News
Christian Gonzalez: The Patriots’ star cornerback was named the league’s third-best by ESPN in its 2026 NFL cornerback rankings. Gonzalez was listed as the #6 corner a year ago.
One opposing coach had some impressive praise for Gonzalez’s skill at shutting down his offense. “He shut everything down when we played him,” the coach said. “We couldn’t squeeze a drop. He was the main reason why.”
His outstanding play got even better during the postseason. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Gonzalez allowed only 14 completions on 36 targets during the playoffs. He allowed only a 38.8 percent completion rate, the lowest among defenders facing at least 25 targets in a postseason since at least 2018, per ESPN.
Sean Payton/Bill Belichick: ESPN’s Seth Wickersham was embedded with the Broncos during their playoff run last year, and he says Sean Payton offered to step aside as the Broncos’ head coach to allow Bill Belichick to break the all-time wins record as a head coach.
Adam Schefter tweeted, “Per @SethWickersham: When Bill Belichick and the Patriots divorced in 2024, Sean Payton considered presenting Broncos owner Greg Penner a proposal for the ages: Hire Belichick as head coach until he reached 15 wins, enough to break Don Shula’s career record of 347. Payton would temporarily step down to assistant head coach and run the offense, then move back after Belichick became the all-time leader. In the end, it was too complicated — and maybe too fanciful.”
It speaks volumes about the mutual respect Payton and Belichick have for one another. A shared history of coaching under Bill Parcells, and against each other. It also shows how secure Payton is with his own job. It is a pretty crazy scenario, but it speaks volumes about Payton.
Having had the opportunity to talk with Payton, although years ago during a joint practice with the Saints, he was funny and pretty forthright in his comments, although because it was a training camp practice, he was obviously more open.
But he did take great delight in the look on our faces as he answered all of our questions with long, detailed answers. He chuckled and said, “I guess you guys don’t always get that with Bill, huh?”
Wickersham’s long piece is a fantastic read, a true peek behind the curtain of what coaches go through to prepare for championship games and the dedication required to reach the pinnacle of their profession.
Mac Jones: The former Patriots’ quarterback was a guest on the “Bussin’ with the Boys” podcast with Taylor Lewan and Will Compton. He specifically spoke about the nightmarish 2022 season with offensive coordinators Matt Patricia and Joe Judge and how that was the beginning of the end for him in New England.
As a rookie in 2021, Jones played well and made the Pro Bowl. But then Josh McDaniels left to become the Raiders’ head coach, and that’s when things went sour for Jones.
“That really affected me,” Jones said about McDaniels’ departure. “I felt like if I could have built on the year before, it would have really helped me and everyone on the team.
“Bill (Belichick) interviewed people; I don’t know- I just felt like we didn’t click during OTAs, and you could kind of see it trending (down),” Jones said.
“I was just a second-year player, so I didn’t really say much or do much. Brian Hoyer was the backup, and he was kind of like looking at me, trying to keep me in it, but we were like, this is not going to be good … We ended up hiring nobody. We kept it in-house.”
“I was like ‘alright’ Bill wants to take it over, good for him. He has six Super Bowls; he can do whatever he wants, right?” Jones said. “I’ll trust it, and maybe it’s good. But he took it over, and we kind of didn’t know where we were going, you know?
“Like there were three people in the meeting, who stands up to talk to the offense? They didn’t really know. Is it Joe Judge? Is it Bill? Is it Matty P? … We ended up, like, (changing) our entire offense a week before the season, and it was kind of like back to what we did in my first year, but we weren’t practicing that, so it was really hard for everybody.”
Patriots No Huddle Podcast: We were back on Thursday afternoon to talk about the latest Patriots news and preview the upcoming season, including an interview with Patriots Unfiltered’s Mike Dussault on the PatsFans.com website. You can always check out our other podcasts on our YouTube channel.
Please check it out. And be sure to like, share, and leave us a review.
Russ Francis/Chuck Fairbanks: The former Patriots tight end and head coach should be in the Patriots’ team Hall of Fame, and the fact that Francis isn’t is an absolute travesty. Francis and the Raiders’ Dave Casper changed how teams used the tight end position.
We will continue to display this in our Sunday posts until it happens. Casper is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Francis’ numbers stand up well against Casper’s, yet he isn’t even in the team’s HOF.
Patriots 53-Man Roster Projection (Pre-Training Edition)
The Patriots addressed many of their needs in free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft, adding nine players. They’ve also signed 11 UDFA players and invited a few others to the rookie minicamp tryouts.
There are still some positional groups they may tinker with, depending on players’ health, how they perform (good or bad), and what the waiver wire looks like.
I do think some trades are still likely to happen before the team’s first regular-season game in Seattle.
So, let’s take a look at the roster and where they stand before camp begins.
Quarterbacks (2):
Drake Maye, Tommy DeVito
Out: Behren Morton (practice squad PS)
The Patriots will have three quarterbacks on the roster, but I’m sticking with Morton on the practice squad for now. I don’t see him getting poached off the PS at this early stage of his career. And they can use the roster slots in other positions.
Running backs (4):
Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson, Reggie Gilliam, Jam Miller
Out: Brock Lampe, Lan Larison (PS), Elijah Mitchell, Terrell Jennings, Myles Montgomery
The first three names are locked in stone. However, there is an open competition here for the Patriots’ No. 3 job behind Stevenson and Henderson.
Miller has the straight-line speed and the short-yardage acumen to be a serviceable change-of-pace back. They invested a pick in him, but he’s far from a lock, and every snap in practice and preseason games will be important. This is wide open, but I’m sticking with the kid from Alabama…for now.
I liked and was intrigued by Larison before he was injured last year. He makes it onto the practice squad here.
Wide receivers (6):
A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, Kyle Williams, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, Efton Chisum III
Out: Kyle Dixon (PS), Jeremiah Webb, Nick DeGennaro (PS), Cameron Dorner, Jimmy Kibble, **Kayshon Boutte – Trade**
With Brown and Doubs as the top two receivers, the Patriots are in unfamiliar territory, having a 1-2 duo that will be intriguing to watch. Brown should draw the most attention from opposing defenses, which should help Doubs have a big year.
Could they keep seven WRs (Boutte) on the roster to guard against a possible injury? Yes, but I don’t think that will happen. They’ll find Boutte a place where he will have a chance to play himself into a nice payday.
Tight Ends (3):
Hunter Henry, Eli Raridon, Tanner Arkin
Out: Jack Westover, CJ Dippre
The Patriots drafted Raridon specifically for his athletic traits; he’s intriguing as a prospect, with big hands and a large catch radius. He has the athleticism to become a threat, but he admittedly has a long way to go.
The loss of Julian Hill was significant, as the Patriots had planned for him to be an integral part of the offense. I think this is an area where the team will be scouring the waiver wire/trade possibilities.
Arkin is an intriguing player with the size (6’4, 265) and physicality of an inline blocker, thriving in the trenches. He wasn’t able to showcase much during the spring. But the two-time Illinois captain also played some H-back.
Offensive Line (9):
Will Campbell, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Jared Wilson, Mike Onwenu, Morgan Moses, Caleb Lomu, Ben Brown, Dametrious Crownover, Caedan Wallace
Out: James Hudson III (PS), Mehki Butler, Lorenz Metz, Andrew Rupcich, Sebastian Gutierrez, Jacob Rizy, JonDarius Morgan **Marcus Bryant trade**
The Patriots drafted two offensive tackles again this year, the first time that has happened in back-to-back years since the 1970s, using a first-round pick on Lomu and a sixth-round pick on Crownover.
The starting five of Campbell, Vera-Tucker, Wilson, Onwenu, and Moses is set and should be much improved this year. Lomu and Ben Brown are the top backups. Wallace can sub at tackle or at guard, and versatility will go a long way.
I think Bryant could be part of a trade package for a tight end or linebacker.
Defensive Line (6), Edge (5):
Defensive Line – Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, Cory Durden, Joshua Farmer, Eric Gregory, Leonard Taylor III
Edge – Harold Landry, Dre’Mont Jones, Elijah Ponder, Gabe Jacas, Bradyn Swinson
Out: Quintayvious Hutchins, Jeremiah Pharms Jr. (PS), Jesse Luketa, David Blay, Khalil Jacobs, Xavier Holmes, Travis Shaw
The defensive line is deep with Milton Williams, Barmore, Durden, Farmer, Gregory, and Taylor. Newcomer Dre’Mont Jones can slide inside as a subpackage interior rusher.
But it is the edge that is most concerning with the front seven right now, given health concerns. Harold Landry had offseason knee surgery and didn’t practice at all this spring. Gabe Jacas had a “procedure” and didn’t practice either. While he isn’t signed yet, that should get addressed in short order.
Jones will man one side, and in a perfect world, Landry would be the other, with the rookie Jacas competing with Ponder and Swinson for top backup reps. But if Landry and Jacas aren’t ready, the edge depth is really lacking.
Linebacker (4):
Robert Spillane, Christian Elliss, K.J. Britt, Namdi Obiazor
Out: Otis Reese, Amari Gainer, Chad Muma (PS)
This is another position on the roster that could use an established veteran. The starters, Spillane and Elliss, are fine, but after them, there are only questions. Britt is more of an STs guy. The team drafted Obiazor, but he’s perhaps too small (229 pounds) to hold up in the running game. Gainer is a dark horse to watch this summer.
This will be a position to watch in the next phase of free agency and when the waiver wire gets active, as both Spillane and Elliss missed time with injuries last season.
Cornerbacks (6):
Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis III, Marcus Jones, Kindle Vildor, Charles Woods, Karon Prunty
Out: Kobee Minor (PS), Marcellas Dial Jr.(PS), Brandon Crossley, Channing Canada, Kenneth Harris
The Patriots made a surprise pick of Prunty in the fifth round. He has good size at 6’1 and has good athleticism for the position. But the Patriots had him in for a Top-30 visit and obviously liked what they saw.
Whether he was a massive reach or a steal remains to be seen this summer.
Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, and Marcus Jones give the Patriots an outstanding starting group. The #4 to #6 cornerback slots will be wide open for camp competition.
Safeties (5):
Kevin Byard, Craig Woodson, Dell Pettus, Mike Brown, Brenden Schooler
Out: John Saunders Jr.
The Patriots signed Kevin Byard in free agency, and he and Woodson give them an excellent 1-2 combination. Brown has the size to be an intriguing backup option along with Pettus, as Schooler is primarily an ST ace.
Special Teams (3):
Andy Borregales, Bryce Baringer, Julian Ashby
Out: None
The Patriots’ three specialists are not going anywhere this summer. Borregales and Ashby were solid last season. Barringer was very inconsistent, and the team may still bring in a punter as camp competition, but for now, this is the group they will go with this season.
If anyone would like to take a swing at predicting the initial 53-man roster, Ian Logue has put together a nice tool, called Pats Picker, on the Patsfans.com website.
Feel free to send them in, and we’ll share some of them in the near future.
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“Somebody asked me what success looks like, and I said, ‘Yeah, you can judge it by wins and losses during the season, but success for me in the offseason is going to be that the players believe in what we’re doing, and they believe in the message, they believe in the teaching, and they believe in the connections that we’re making.’” — Mike Vrabel
Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected]
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A former US Army Special Forces NCO and Officer, Steve has been following the Patriots since their days at Fenway Park. Steve has worked in the film industry and wrote as an Military Editor at SpecialOperations.com, 1945.com as a reporter for the Millbury Daily Voice, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News. He's also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)
