Here’s a quick Patriots roster projection ahead of the start of the team’s 2026 Training Camp this weekend.
Pre-Training Camp 53-Man Roster Projection
QB (3) Drake Maye, Tommy DeVito, Behren Morton
I expect Morton to be a surprise of camp after a good showing this Spring. He is kept on the 53-man roster because they will not be able to expose him to waivers in order to stash him on Practice Squad.
RB (4) Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson, Reggie Gilliam, Lan Larison
I only go with 4 RBs. I expect Larison to rise to the #3 RB with a good camp.
Practice Squad battle: Terrell Jennings, Jam Miller, Myles Montgomery (2 will be on PS)
TE (2) Hunter Henry, Eli Raridon
I only keep two TEs, with the extra TE coming from the OL group (Lomu or Crownover). Don’t forget that Crownover played TE his 1st year at Texas A&M. I am surprised the Patriots didn’t sign a veteran TE with the open roster spot after the release of Travis Shaw.
Practice Squad battle: Jack Westover, CJ Dippre, Tanner Arkin
WR (6) A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams, Demario Douglas, Efton Chism III
Traded: Kayshon Boutte – If he is not traded, it may come down to Mack Hollins vs Kayshon Boutte. Both players are in the last year of their contracts. Boutte’s age may be the difference and could be kept over Hollins.
UDFA Kyle Dixon received a guarantee almost equivalent to a year’s salary on the Practice Squad. I expect that he will show enough to get a spot on the Practice Squad. I would expect him to compete next year for a spot in the WR room.
C (2) Jared Wilson, Ben Brown
Who is #3 on the depth chart? I think that will be Jacob Rizy. If he has a good camp he could make the PS.
G (3) Mike Onwenu, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Caedan Wallace
I keep Wallace because of his position flexibility. He very easily could be a camp casualty. He needs a big camp to stick. Daniel Rupcich will make the PS.
T (4) Will Campbell, Morgan Moses, Caleb Lomu, Dametrious Crownover
Waived: James Hudson and Marcus Bryant
Hudson’s propensity for penalties scares me and the Patriots kept Thayer Munford active over Bryant down the stretch and in the playoffs
DE/OLB (5) Dre’Mont Jones, Harold Landry, Gabe Jacas, Elijah Ponder, Xavier Holmes
Holmes could be the odd man out if another TE is signed. He impressed coaches during the Spring and should be a Practice Squad candidate at the least. Holmes beats out 2nd year player Bradyn Swinson who would probably be claimed if waived. They both may make the team if Landry or Jacas have prolonged absence.
DT (5) Christian Barmore, Milton Williams, Cory Durden, Joshua Farmer, Leonard Taylor III
Patriots re-signed Isaiah Iton this week and he along with Jeremiah Pharms and Eric Gregory would be prime candidates for the Practice Squad if they could get through waivers.
ILB (5) Robert Spillane, Christian Elliss, K.J. Britt, Chad Muma, Namdi Obiazor
Maybe a little thin here. Elliss is in his final year. Muma has never been a starter and played mostly on Special Teams. Muma was wearing the Green Dot in practices.
CB (6) Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, Marcus Jones, Charles Woods, Karon Prunty, Kindle Vildor
Lookout for a prolonged “Hold In” by Gonzalez over his contract. He is going to want a contract similar to Darryl Stingley’s where the Texans tore up his rookie deal and gave him money this year and an AAV of nearly $30M. This could be a problem signing Gonzalez.
Channing Canada has a Guarantee equivalent to a full season salary on the Practice Squad. I think he will get cut, and if he goes unclaimed will be added to the Practice Squad.
SS (2) Dell Pettus, Mike Brown
Peter Manuma could be a candidate for the Practice Squad after impressing during Rookie Mini-Camp tryout and earning a contract.
FS (2) Kevin Byard, Craig Woodson
Woodson actually starts at Strong Safety but is the backup Free Safety. Brenden Schooler also has the ability to play some Safety.
ST (4) Brenden Schooler, Bryce Baringer, Andy Borregales, Julian Ashby
Total Players: 53
Created with PatsPicker at PatsFans.com
Comings and Goings
Prior to the start of Training Camp next week, the Patriots waived DT Travis Shaw. Per Patriots.com, Shaw, 21, signed with the Patriots on May 20, 2026, as a non-drafted rookie free agent from Texas. He played his first three college seasons at North Carolina (2022-24) before transferring to Texas for the 2025 season. The 6-foot-5, 334-pounder has played in 50 games with one start during his college career and finished with 68 total tackles and 2 fumble recoveries. Last season at Texas, Shaw played 13 games with one start and finished with 13 total tackles.
This open spot on the roster didn’t last long as the Patriots signed DT Isaiah Iton, who spent all of 2025 on IR with the Patriots.
Patriots Must-Watch
Forged In Foxboro Season 2 Episode 2 dropped last Friday. The roughly half-hour video takes the team from Rookie Mini-Camp, through OTA’s, and mandatory Mini-Camp. There was a considerable amount of time spent on the AJ Brown signing in this piece. A few quick observations: Vrabel challenges the rookies to get to know the cafeteria workers who are busting their asses to give them the best food and to help make them better players. He even flashed a one-hundred-dollar bill if any rookie could name one of the workers. Another highlight I saw was the leadership that Kevin Byard is already showing the other guys in the secondary, and defense altogether. This is a must watch prior to the start of Training Camp and you can find it on Patriots.com.
Joejuan Williams Added to Coaching Staff
The Patriots selected Williams in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Williams recently retired from the NFL. He has been added as a Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship Program coach in an undefined role with the team. This is the same Program that Patriots QB coach, Ashton Grant used to his start in Pro Football coaching with the Cleveland Browns. Williams was part of four-person group who spent minicamp with the Commanders this spring as a part of the fellowship program.
Camp Battles to Look For
Pop Douglas vs Efton Chism – I think there is room for both players. Douglas is in the final year of his contract and if he wants a big paycheck in Free Agency he must have a big year.
Lan Larison, Jam Miller and Myles Montgomery – The Patriots need one of these players to emerge as the #3 Runningback. This player will also need to contribute on Special Teams, particularly as a Kick-Off Returner. I don’t think Terrell Jennings is even in the mix for this competition as he starts the Training Camp on NFI. His best shot is another Practice Squad stint,
Kayshon Boutte vs Mack Hollins – Both players are in their final year of their contracts. Hollins is 32 and Boutte 24. Boutte has a good rapport with Drake Maye on deep passes and big plays. Hollins is a big target and an excellent downfield blocker.
Marcellus Dial, Kindle Vildor, and Karon Prunty – Two of the three will make the team. Dial is coming off a lost season with an ACL tear. He looked good in the Spring and will be competing with the veteran Vildor. Dial just might have an advantage due to his Special Teams play. Prunty could be the surprise of camp. The selection of Prunty was highly criticized by Draft Experts as a reach.
Marcus Bryant, James Hudson, and Dametrious Crownover battling for one spot on the roster. I feel that Crownover has the edge, especially if they decide to use him as a blocking TE.
Other Items to Watch
Gabe Jacas Contract Status
Jacas still hasn’t signed a contract yet. He will have to pass a physical first. It is believed the Patriots want some assurance that he is healthy after his undisclosed knee procedure right after the draft. The Patriots want to add some language in his contract that is performance-based on the number of games he actually plays. Jacas has an extensive injury history even before the unauthorized knee procedure. The Patriots brass was none too pleased with Jacas having a procedure without their authorization. It appears that Jacas withheld this info, and it may not have come up in the medical exams at the Combine. Mike Reiss of ESPN reported. “It is not known whether something happened after Jacas’ physical exam and subsequent re-check at the combine, or when the Patriots had him in for a pre-draft visit the week of April 20, and that information wasn’t disclosed to the team.” I have also seen reports that Jacas did not participate in the Medical Exam at the Combine because he had a known hamstring injury that also kept him out of the Illinois Pro Day. At his private workout for NFL teams, Gabe Jacas ran a 4.69-second 40-yard dash with a 1.59-second 10-yard split. This sub‑1.60 10‑yard split is considered top‑level burst for an edge rusher, and the 4.69 40-yard dash placed him in the 74th percentile for that event. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler noted that the 1.59 10‑yard split is “top‑level burst” for the position, and Bears Blog Boy’s analysis called it an “87th percentile 10-yard”.
These numbers were impressive given that Jacas was still recovering from a hamstring injury that kept him from testing at the Combine or pro day. The performance helped boost his stock, with analysts and scouts praising his combination of speed, power, and play strength.
Christian Gonzalez Contract Extension Status
As I wrote earlier, Gonzalez is shooting for a contract similar to what Texans DB Darryl Stingley received. They didn’t extend Stingley but wrote a new contract and eliminated the 5th-year rookie option they held. The Texans paid Stingley $30M AAV, which was eclipsed by Sauce Gardner’s deal and subsequently by Trent McDuffie with the Los Angeles Rams. McDuffie got a 4-year extension at $31M per year. McDuffie will play 2026 under his old contract, and the new money comes in during 2027. Based on the way things are going, Witherspoon is probably going to be the first one to sign his new deal, according to NFL insider Albert Breer. “It’s fair to expect that Gonzalez and Devon Witherspoon have no reason to accept $31.1 million per year in light of all that (McDuffie Contract),” Breer wrote. “The question then becomes how big a jump is coming? And the dynamics at play point to Witherspoon going first, after the two faced off in the Super Bowl.” Both players are represented by the same agent, Reggie Johnson.
Three Start Training Camp on PUP and NFI Lists
EDGE Harold Landry and TE CJ Dippre will start Training Camp on the PUP List. RB Terrell Jennings is starting on the Non-Football Injury List. I have seen one writer post on X that he doesn’t expect the Patriots to get anything out of Landry this season, and if they do its icing on the cake. I think it’s managing the reps Landry has to make. He is a veteran and knows what Vrabel wants and needs from his position. The same can be said about Morgan Moses. I expect him to only take 60% or less of the snaps in Training Camp. This will give Caleb Lomu a lot more reps in what would otherwise be a red-shirt year. Lomu gets the reps and is prepared to jump in should Moses get injured.
Support Mark and buy him a coffee.
Support Us: Help Us Compete Against The Corporate Media Giants
We need your help. If you enjoy our content, please help us beat Google's Corporate algorithm by adding us as a preferred source on Google News.
Click the button below and check the box next to "PatsFans.com"
Add as a preferred source on Google News
Merrimack Valley native and lifelong fan of the New England Patriots. My earliest memories of the Patriots were attending as a child with my dad, the off-season practice at Phillips Academy. I was at the Patriots game at Harvard Stadium in 1970 where Bob “Harpo” Gladieux was called out of the stands by the stadium announcer over the PA to play in the game. Analyzing the draft since ESPN first started to televise it in 1980 and former writer for the Lowell Sun Newspaper.
